Crystal Flaws Book 4 Crystal Bells PG13 Ver

by Luna Hope

Who is Elios and how did he become the High Priest of Elysion? Someone special comes to visit and of course, a Wedding! PG-13 Version

Crystal Flaws – Book Four

Crystal Bells
By Luna Hope

Rated – PG-13


(Author's Note: Please read:
"Crystal Flaws - Book 1 – Crystal Tears"
"Crystal Flaws - Book 2 – Crystal Fears" and
"Crystal Flaws - Book 3 – Crystal Clear"

*before* you read this Book. There are things you will not
understand in this story if you skip the first books. Thank you ^_^)



Chapter 1


Elios and Serenity knocked on Neo-Queen Serenity's office door, and
heard her say, "Enter". They opened the door and saw that both of
Serenity's parents were sitting at the table by the window drinking
tea. The couple sat down on the couch and accepted the cups of tea the
Queen offered them. Everyone sat a moment in silence as they sipped
their drinks. Finally Serenity's mother said, "You saw Mercury." It
was more a statement than a question.

Serenity nodded her head yes. Putting her cup down, she grabbed Elios'
hand and quietly said, "I'm pregnant."

Her parents sighed and tried their best not to look upset. After a
moment her mother asked, "Are you feeling okay?"

Serenity answered, "A little nauseous, but Mercury said eating a little
bit often should help. Mercury also said some other things." Her
parents looked up with concern. Serenity squeezed Elios' hand again
and continued, "She said we're having twins."

Her mother gasped and her father said, "What?!"

Shocked, the Queen exclaimed, "How is that possible?! The heir to the
Silver Crystal has only ever had one child, a daughter," she added with
puzzlement.

Elios spoke, "My family genetics includes multiples."

For a moment the King had an intense thoughtful expression on his face.
He then said, "That's right, I remember now! Your family had
multiples. You are one of triplets, right?"

Shocked, Elios looked at King Endymion with a start. He had thought
that everyone, except his sisters, who had known about his brothers and
parents were gone. He hadn't realized that Prince Endymion knew them
back in the Silver Millennium!

Elios' face paled as he slowly nodded his head yes. Unconsciously
squeezing Serenity's hand tighter, he looked down. Haltingly he said,
"Was. My brothers and parents died…during Beryl's invasion. My
sisters and I…were in Elysion when it happened."

Serenity looked at Elios and saw the deep sadness in his eyes. Putting
her free hand over their clasped hands, she leaned against Elios to
offer him comfort and support.

Both the King and Queen looked sad. The King quietly said, "I'm sorry
Elios. That must have been a terrible time for you and your sisters."

Elios nodded his head and sighed. Unbidden, long unsought images
insistently pushed their way to the surface of Elios' mind. Images of
his parents, his brothers, and his baby sisters when they were all
together. Happy images from a peaceful time long long gone. Images
that were still as sharp to Elios' mind's eye and as cutting to his
heart as they were two millennia ago.

Closing his eyes, Elios swallowed as he tried to push the images and
the pain they brought back into the far recesses of his mind. [Damn!]
he thought, [Why did that have to come up *now*?!]

Finally, with a shaky sigh, Elios looked up.

Realizing that Elios definitely did not want to continue talking about
his family, Usagi asked, "Have you considered a date for your wedding?"

Elios and Serenity shook their heads no. Elios cleared his throat and
said, "It should probably be soon, before Serenity begins to show."

Serenity sighed and looked down. She had been looking forward to
planning her wedding and now they would have to rush it. Things
definitely were not going the way she had thought they would.

Hot tears silently spilled down Serenity's cheeks and her father
started to reach out to comfort her. Usagi put a restraining hand on
her husband's forearm as Elios enveloped Serenity in his arms and
hugged her close.

Mamoru watched Elios comfort his daughter and he felt a surge of anger
bubble up inside his heart. He thought, [This is all Elios' fault! He
doesn't deserve Serenity. I should have sent him packing after that
battle with the monster. If I had, we wouldn't be in this mess and
Serenity wouldn't be crying!]

Usagi looked at her husband and could see the anger in his expression.
Concerned, she gripped his hand to try to soothe and anchor him. [The
*last* thing we need now is for Mamo-chan to lose his temper!] she
thought.

The pressure of his wife's cool, calming fingers reminded Mamoru that
regardless of what he thought, Serenity had chosen Elios. He *had* to
let go. He *had* to let Elios have her. Mamoru rubbed his eyes
tiredly and sighed as he struggled to force his heart to submit to
reason.

Realizing that they all needed some time to gather their composure,
Usagi said to Elios, "We should take a break so you two can discuss
what you're going to do. Would three be a good time for us to meet
back here?" Elios agreed and they left Serenity's parents.

As the door closed behind the couple, Mamoru leaned forward and put his
face in his hands. Usagi knelt down in front of Mamoru and encircled
him in her arms.

Sighing sadly, Mamoru put his arms around his wife and hugged her back.
He rested his head on her shoulder and she silently stroked his hair.

Finally Mamoru whispered, "This is so hard! I want her to be happy,
but all I see is how often he has made her cry!"

Usagi quietly responded, "It's hard for me to watch too, but all
relationships have hard times. Just because they're having a difficult
time right now doesn't mean Serenity will be unhappy for the rest of
her life. They will get through this and she will be happy again."

Reaching up to make her husband look into her eyes, Usagi continued,
"Remember all the difficulties that we went through? If we had given
up because of them, then we would have missed out on all the wonderful
times we have had together too."

Mamoru thought about what she said. He smiled ruefully as he admitted,
"Yes, I do remember. I also remember that most of those difficulties
were caused by me."

Usagi remarked with a smile, "Well, *I* wasn't going to say it, but
since you did I won't refute it either."

Mamoru sighed resignedly as he realized he had no right to judge Elios.

Usagi saw the sad resignation in his eyes. Reaching up to pull
Mamoru's face closer to hers, she softly whispered against his lips,
"Don't worry Mamo-chan. You will *always* have me."


Elios took Serenity to his room. He could tell she felt overwhelmed.
Setting the alarm, he cuddled her to him on the bed. An hour later the
alarm rang and Elios went to the kitchen to put together a lunch tray
for them. He returned to the room with the tray and Serenity was still
sleeping. He gently woke her and the smell of food convinced her to
get up.

As Serenity and Elios ate, they talked about their wedding and chose a
date. Serenity did consider trying to get Elios to talk about his
family again but decided against it. She realized she would have to
wait until he was ready to bring it up.

Elios returned the tray to the kitchen and when he came back Serenity
was lying on the bed relaxing. She smiled as Elios stretched out next
to her with a sigh. "Hey!" he suddenly yelped. "What did you do that
for?"

Serenity giggled and said, "Your shirt pulled up when you stretched. I
couldn't resist tickling you."

"Is that so?" Elios said as he suddenly grabbed Serenity's ribs and
tickled her unmercifully.

She gasped and laughed and tried to grab his hands. When she finally
caught them, she quickly leveraged herself up and pinned Elios' hands
to the bed. To keep him from breaking free, she swung her leg over his
body and straddled his waist. Serenity's life of military training had
made her strong and with his hands held down by his ears Elios was
truly pinned. He tried to lift his hands and was surprised he couldn't
budge them.

Smiling, Serenity teasingly whispered, "I win," then she leaned down to
kiss Elios. Soon, Elios and Serenity were paying plenty of attention
to each other, but absolutely no attention to the clock.

Quite a while later as they contentedly cuddled together, Elios quietly
asked, "What time is it?"

Looking up at the clock, Serenity mumbled, "Two minutes to three," then
closed her eyes and snuggled closer to her lover.

Elios said, "Mmmmm," then, "What?!" Grabbing Serenity's shoulders, he
pushed her to sit up. She looked confused.

Elios said, "We have to get out of here!" It suddenly dawned on
Serenity why.

Groaning with dismay, they both hurriedly got their acts together.
Elios then grabbed Serenity's hand as they ran out the door.

Serenity shook her head and asked Elios as they hurried, "Why do we
keep getting ourselves into these messes?"

Elios grinned. He leaned closer to her and quietly answered, "Because
we're horny."

Serenity gasped, blushed and looked around to see if anyone had heard
him. "Elios!" she admonished.

Elios laughed and said, "Well, you did ask!"

Serenity rolled her eyes and muttered, "We're hopeless!"



Chapter 2


Serenity and Elios reached her mother's office door. It was 3:10 p.m.
Serenity opened the door and no one was there. They looked at each
other confused and went in.

Serenity asked, "Do you think they gave up on us and left?"

Elios looked around and said, "No. I don't think they've been here yet
because the tea isn't hot." Elios and Serenity sat down on the couch
and the door opened.

The King and Queen came in. Usagi's face was flushed from hurrying and
Mamoru said, "Sorry we're late. We were, um, unavoidably detained."

Usagi turned to start the teapot boiling and Serenity began to notice
things she never saw, or at least noticed, before. Her mother didn't
have her wings attached to her dress now, and the two little eyehooks
above where the wings attached were not closed. Sitting down with a
sigh, Usagi crossed her legs. Her shoe peeked out from under her dress
and Serenity noticed her mother had her heels on without stockings.
Serenity then saw her mother's hair was slightly disheveled and
realization finally dawned on her.

Serenity took a second look at her father. At first he had appeared
calm and collected, but now she noticed his vest was missing and he
wasn't wearing socks. She looked at his hair and it looked like it had
been combed with his fingers, but that was how it always looked.
Serenity looked down and blushed as she realized she and Elios looked
just as hastily thrown together as her parents did.

Suddenly Serenity realized her parents and Elios were talking and she
had better pay attention.

As Neo-Queen Serenity served the tea she asked, "Did you pick a date?"

Elios answered, "July 30th, if two months is reasonable."

The Queen nodded yes and said, "We can work with that and it's a month
after our birthday, so one won't overshadow the other. What about your
attendants? Serenity, do you know who, and how many, you want?"

Serenity answered, "My Senshi."

Her mother said, "As I guessed."

Elios spoke up, "That will work out well because I have the four
Pegasus brothers as groomsmen."

Serenity and her parents looked at Elios with confusion. Serenity
asked, "Four Pegasus brothers? I don't understand."

Elios chuckled a bit nervously as their expressions. He realized it
was time to broach this subject. He took a deep breath and picked his
words carefully, "The four brothers have been my rides here and are my
friends. They are identical quads so you may not have realized there
was more than one."

Serenity hesitantly said, "Okay, but how can they be in the wedding?
They're very big."

Elios said, "All Pegasuses can transform to either a Pegasus or a human
form." He took another deep breath and cautiously asked, "You do
remember that I can transform, don't you?"

Serenity was quiet a moment then haltingly said, "I remember when you
were a Pegasus, but I wasn't sure if it was a permanent part of you, or
a part of Nephrenia's curse. You didn't transform again after you were
freed, and you called a Pegasus to you to fly."

Sighing, Elios realized how his behavior had contributed to her
confusion. He looked up and said, "I see now that I need to explain
some things."

Elios swallowed. He knew he had to explain and he was determined to do
so. He cleared his throat then continued, "My parents were Elysion's
ambassadors to the Earth's surface. We lived full time on the surface
and my siblings and I were born on the surface."

Continuing to explain, he said, "A Pegasus will stay in the form its
mother chooses to give birth in until four years of age. Our mother
gave birth in her human form, and we grew up as humans. Until my
sisters and I were moved to Elysion, I had only transformed three
times. Because of this upbringing, we are much more comfortable in our
human forms than most Pegasuses are. We actually prefer our human
forms, especially in the company of surface humans. When my sisters
and I moved to Elysion the other Pegasuses thought we were strange, but
eventually they accepted us in our human forms."

Elios concluded by saying, "A group of Pegasuses are on call to provide
me with transportation to the surface so I don't have to transform in
front of surface humans. When I was a prisoner I was too weak to hold
my human form. What little power I had was needed to contact you and
to fight. After I was freed and healed, I didn't really think about it
and just called a Pegasus out of habit."

Puzzled, King Endymion said, "I knew your parents were the ambassadors,
but I never saw them in their Pegasus forms. I don't remember ever
being told that they were Pegasuses."

Elios explained, "Most people didn't know. Surface humans can be
uncomfortable relating to someone as an equal that looks like a horse.
Also, surface humans are sometimes uncomfortable with how we
communicate in our Pegasus form."

Elios finally dared a look at Serenity to see how she was taking all
this.

Serenity slowly shook her head and for the second time that day
struggled to absorb a new view of her fiancé. Looking up, she said
with frustration evident in her voice, "Elios, you are so very
mysterious. Is there ever going to be a day when I can think I know
everything about you?"

Elios was not sure how to answer Serenity's question. Finally, he
quietly said, "I can't promise you a day like that will ever come. Is
that a problem for you?"

Serenity looked at Elios and saw the fear in his heart reflected in his
eyes. Now that she had seen Elios' pain from the loss of his family,
Serenity had a better understanding of what it was Elios truly feared.

With conscious determination, Serenity swallowed her frustration and
squeezed Elios' hand reassuringly. "No," she answered, "It's not a
problem for me. Today it surprised me, but from now on I know to
expect the unexpected from you every once in a while."

Elios smiled and the fear faded from his eyes and heart.

As the couple talked, King Endymion thought about what Elios had said
regarding the Pegasuses and Elysion. He realized there was more to
both of them than he had thought. When he saw that Elios and Serenity
had finished working things out, he asked, "Why would people be
uncomfortable with how a Pegasus communicates?"

Elios responded, "In Pegasus form we communicate telepathically. Our
personal thoughts are on a different level than our verbal thoughts.
Many surface humans don't know how to separate their thought processes,
so they constantly talk out loud telepathically. Often it is difficult
to differentiate their personal thoughts from verbal ones. If a
Pegasus unintentionally responds to a personal thought, it upsets
surface humans. They often blame us for being able to read their
thoughts and they claim we are invading their minds."

King Endymion nodded his head yes in understanding. He could see how
this would cause problems and fear between the two races. He said, "I
remember Elysion and the surface were on good terms during my father's
reign. How was that accomplished?"

Elios answered, "The Priests had very strict rules regarding who could
travel between Elysion and the surface. This was the reason for having
the ambassadorship. My parents were the only Pegasuses approved for
unrestricted travel. From an early age, they taught us to be cautious
and not to respond to surface human's thoughts. They rarely spoke
telepathically to each other or us. They did make sure we knew how to
separate our thought processes. If we got careless, our parents would
reminded us to keep our thoughts to ourselves."

"I see," King Endymion responded, "The Priests' and your parents'
caution protected the peace.

After thinking a moment, King Endymion said, "I think it would be best
to keep the relationship between Elysion and the surface the way it is
for now. Because of your marriage, things will have to change, but we
need to do it carefully. The changes need to be implemented in such a
way that they don't harm either world. Elios, how many Pegasuses live
in Elysion? Are there any other sentient beings there?"

Elios thought a moment then responded, "There are about four to five
hundred Pegasuses. Beryl's attack and Nephrenia's invasion severely
reduced our number. The only other sentient beings are the Fairies.
They number in the tens of thousands as best as I can tell. They are
simplistic, easily pleased creatures, but they should not be dismissed.
When angered they are a force to be reckoned with."

Concerned, Elios asked, "Do you really think our marriage will cause
drastic changes for Elysion?"

King Endymion knew he wouldn't be doing Elios or his daughter any
favors by softening the answer to this question. Looking at both of
them he said, "The only way to avoid changing our worlds would be for
one of you to totally renounce your life from before your marriage."

Neo-Queen Serenity looked away. She stood up and began to pace the
room with her hands gripped together.

King Endymion looked down and sighed. The price to pay if they chose
this option would be unbearable to him. If they don't choose it, the
price to their worlds could also be significant.

Serenity's face paled as the implications of her father's words sunk
in. She whispered, "You mean, leave one place and never go back?"

Elios shook his head no resolutely. He said, "Neither of us could do
that. Both places and their people are too important to both of us.
We will work the changes out between our worlds."

The Queen sighed with relief as she sat back down. She said, "It may
be selfish of me, but I'm glad that's your choice."

The King nodded his head in agreement. He said, "If you're agreed, we
will try to keep contact between our worlds at a minimum until after
the wedding. After that we'll decide how to introduce our two worlds
to each other."

Elios agreed.

Looking at the clock, Usagi said, "I don't mean to rush this, but we
should get more wedding plans on paper before dinner. Serenity, who is
going to be your maid of honor?"

Serenity answered, "Hotaru, if she is willing."

Looking up, Neo-Queen Serenity said, "Sailor Saturn hasn't been back to
Earth in years. Please check with her and let me know if she'll do it.

Serenity nodded and said, "I owe her a letter anyway."

The Queen then asked, "Elios, do you have someone in mind for your best
man?"

Elios thought a moment then said, "No, I need to get back to you on
that."

Usagi nodded and made a note in her notebook. She looked up and said,
"If you are agreed Serenity, Sailor Pluto has offered to design and
make your wedding gown."

Serenity's eyes lit up. She loved Setsuna's designs.

Her mother said, "I'll take that as a yes."

Serenity wondered out loud, "Do you think Setsuna would be willing to
make the bridesmaid's gowns too?"

Frowning, Usagi said, "If she had a year maybe. Because of the time
issue, perhaps you can choose from something she's already designed and
have her hire extra seamstresses. You'll need to talk to her about
it."

Serenity nodded.

Her mother stared at her for a moment then sighed. Grabbing two
notepads and pens off the table, she held them up to Serenity and
Elios. She chided, "I've told you both things to do. Write them down
and do them, or I'm going to get annoyed with you!"

Both of them leaned forward, took the offered implements and began to
write.

Usagi looked back at her notes as she muttered under her breath, "Boy!
Was I ever as clueless as you two are?"

Mamoru happened to have taken a sip of tea just as he heard his wife's
complaint. He started choking on it as he laughed. Finally he could
speak. "Usako!" he exclaimed, "You're the original "Meatball Head".
Remember?" Seeing the look in his wife's eyes, Mamoru immediately
realized he had not worded that well. He cleared his throat and tried
again, "Of course, you're not now, anymore. I just meant you used to
be. Don't you remember?" He smiled hopefully then began to sweat
under the powerfully piercing and silent gaze of his wife.

Mamoru stood up then suddenly knelt down close to Usagi. While looking
into her eyes, he pulled a rose and tickled her under the chin with its
petals.

In spite of herself, Usagi laughed and started to lean away from him.

Mamoru's hand quickly slipped behind Usagi's neck and pulled her to him
for a very thorough and breath-draining kiss.

Serenity blushed and said, "Poppa!" She couldn't believe he was
behaving like this in front of them!

Slowly releasing his wife's lips, Mamoru calmly sat back down in his
chair.

Usagi looked at the rose in her hand a moment then looked up at them.
She asked, "Is the meeting done?"

Serenity stared with amazement at her flushed and slightly dazed
mother.

Elios tried not to grin as he took mental notes on the King's obviously
successful technique for getting out of trouble.

They decided to end the meeting because dinner would be in an hour.
They rescheduled for Friday afternoon.


Serenity was quiet as she and Elios walked back to his room. After he
shut the door she told him what she had noticed about her parents.

Elios started to chuckle then said, "I guess the break wasn't long
enough for them either."

Smacking his arm, Serenity indignantly said, "Don't laugh! What
happened to my parents? They didn't act like this before. It's
embarrassing!"

Smiling, Elios pulled Serenity into his arms. He whispered to her
softly, "I don't think it's your parents that have changed, my Maiden.
You are just more aware of these things now."

Serenity leaned back in his arms and looked at him surprised, "You
really think so?"

Elios kissed her nose and said, "Yes, I really think so." He then
changed the subject. "How about we take a quick shower before dinner?"
he suggested with a smile.

Serenity looked at him suspiciously and said, "I don't want to be late
for dinner."

Laughing, Elios said, "Okay, I promise. All business and no pleasure."
Serenity was still doubtful, but she let him lead her to the bathroom.

Elios did keep his promise, but it was obvious to Serenity that if he
hadn't promised it to her, he wouldn't have chosen to go to dinner.
Serenity wouldn't admit it, but she also considered reconsidering what
she wanted to do. As she dressed she sighed and thought, [We really
are hopeless!]



Chapter 3


The next few weeks were very hectic for Lady Serenity. It seemed like
everyone in the kingdom was involved with the wedding and demanded time
with her. The wedding sucked up every one of Serenity's waking
moments, even on the weekends.

As per Mercury's instructions, Serenity couldn't teleport anymore.
After spending one whole weekend separated, Elios and Serenity decided
they didn't care what others thought and moved Serenity into his room.
Since wedding plans now took all of Serenity's days, Elios would at
least get to see her at night. She did sleep much more of that time
than he wanted her to, but he figured it was still better than not
seeing her at all.


One Friday night Serenity had fallen asleep against Elios' shoulder at
the dinner table even before she had eaten. Elios started to worry.
"Maiden, you need to eat," he said trying to wake her. All Serenity
did was mumble something and went back to sleep.

Asking that they be excused from the table, Elios again tried to wake
Serenity to have her walk. She stood up but stumbled as they stepped
away from the table. Realizing it was a lost cause, Elios lifted
Serenity up in his arms and carried her to their room.

Elios returned to the dining room after he had Serenity settled in bed.
Terrance had already finished dinner and left so Elios was able to talk
openly with the King and Queen. "What has Serenity's schedule been
like this week?" he asked.

Neo-Queen Serenity responded, "We've been away the last four days and
just returned this afternoon. I know she's been quite busy but I don't
know the specifics. However, it's not uncommon for a woman to be tired
when she's pregnant."

Shaking his head Elios refuted, "Not this tired. She didn't even eat.
Whatever Serenity has scheduled for tomorrow morning needs to be
canceled. I don't want anyone expecting to see her before noon."

The Queen nodded and said, "That's probably a good idea. I'll take
care of it."

The next morning Serenity woke up and looked at the clock. With a
groan of dismay she noted it was ten in the morning. Serenity started
to get up and Elios reached out to pull her back into his arms.
Serenity protested, "Elios, I can't! Let me go. I'm late already!"

Elios shook his head no as he tightened his arms around her. He firmly
said, "You're not going anywhere. I had your mother cancel your
appointments this morning."

Upset, Serenity turned to him and asked, "What did you do that for?
They were important!"

Kissing her forehead, Elios quietly responded, "Not as important as
your health."

"What do you mean? I'm fine!" Serenity stated with exasperation.

Elios smiled and asked, "What do you remember about going to sleep last
night?"

Serenity wrinkled her brow as she thought a moment then hesitantly
offered, "I remember you getting here and going to dinner…" Elios then
told her how the rest of her evening went.

Blushing bright red Serenity whined, "You *carried* me out of the
dining room?! How embarrassing!" She then took a deep breath and
admitted, "Okay, maybe I was a bit overtired. Really though, I'm okay.
There's still so much to do and so little time to do it in. It will be
over soon and then I can rest."

Elios stroked her cheek with his fingers. With worry in his voice he
implored, "Please be more careful about sleeping and eating right. I
worry about you when I'm not here. No one else knows you're pregnant
so they won't tell you to take it easy. I don't want anything to
happen to you or the babies."

Serenity could see the honest concern in his eyes and it warmed her
heart. "Okay, I'll try to be more careful," she quietly said as she
pulled him closer and softly kissed him.

Quite a while later they ordered lunch and Serenity finally got back to
what was left of her day.


The weekend before Serenity and her mother's birthday, Elios realized
Serenity really needed a break. He decided to take her to Elysion for
the birthday weekend. The Sunday before their birthday Elios told
Serenity's parents of his plans. The King and the Queen reacted with
dismay as they pointed out they traditionally have a big party that was
already planned for both birthday girls on Saturday evening.

Nodding his head, Elios stated, "I realize that. However, this year is
different. With both the pregnancy and the wedding Serenity has enough
going on. She won't admit it, but a big party at this time would be
too much for her. Serenity needs to get away from her hectic schedule
for a few days."

With a slightly annoyed sigh Neo-Queen Serenity said, "Fine. We still
need to celebrate her birthday though. I want her back here for Sunday
dinner. We'll have a small family and friends dinner and party for her
then."

Elios agreed to that plan and the following Friday evening he and
Serenity left for Elysion. Elios gave Serenity a pair of diamond
earrings for her birthday, which matched her necklace and ring. They
spent a nice quiet weekend together and Serenity admitted she did feel
much better and not as tense. However, when they returned to the
Palace Sunday evening as planned, Serenity's hectic schedule picked up
right where she had left it.


The next Saturday was dress-fitting day for the girls. They were
excited about it. Each of them had gone to individual fittings, but
this was the first one for the group. This was also the first time the
girls were going to see Serenity's gown.

The five girls were eating their breakfasts together at seven in the
morning and their appointment with Pluto was at seven thirty.
Serenity, who was annoyed because she considered this to be an ungodly
hour for a Saturday, yawned for the eighth time in the last ten
minutes.

Juno teasingly bumped Serenity's arm that was supporting her head and
Serenity almost did a face plant in her scrambled eggs. Glaring at
Juno, Serenity pushed her plate away and decided her stomach would
prefer to stick with toast and tea.

Vesta started to scold, "Juno! Be nice. You should feel sorry for
Serenity."

Serenity looked up with alarm. The other girls looked at Vesta with
surprise and Juno even started to look a little ashamed. However, the
Asteroid Senshi all busted up when Vesta laughingly ended her speech
with, "She probably doesn't get much sleep at all anymore!"

Totally unfazed by Serenity's embarrassed glare, they all reached over
to pat her arm as they laughed and crooned, "You poor thing!"

The girls finally calmed themselves and Pallas spoke, "Really, all
teasing aside, are you feeling okay Serenity? You seem to be dragging
lately and you look a bit pale. You're not getting sick are you?"

Serenity gulped and took a deep breath. Actually, she did feel sick at
the moment. She debated with herself. Sighing, Serenity decided she
just wasn't read to tell anybody yet.

Serenity assured them, "I'm just a little stressed out from the
wedding. I'll be fine."

The girls nodded and Ceres looked at the clock. "We have to go," she
announced.

Sailor Pluto had hired out the sewing for the bridesmaid's dresses, but
she wouldn't allow anybody other than herself to touch Serenity's gown.

The four girls now stood admiring themselves and each other in front of
the mirror as they waited for Serenity to finish putting her dress on.

Ceres, who loved all things feminine, stood at the center of the
mirrors and gracefully turned one way then another as she tried to see
all sides of her dress.

Normally Vesta was too involved with her studies and Senshi duties to
care much about pretty things, but even she turned a few times to get a
better look at herself.

Pallas was her normal bubbly self as she joyfully pirouetted. Her
skirt flared out and rippled around her as she happily exclaimed,
"Look! Look at what the skirt can do!"

Even Juno, a tomboy through and through, admitted the dress was very
pretty as she slowly turned herself around once.

Serenity walked out of the dressing room with Pluto following and
carrying the train of her dress. The girls moved to let Serenity have
the center of the mirrors as they all exclaimed over how pretty her
dress looked.

Pluto helped Serenity stand on a pedestal then she knelt down to
measure and pin the hem. Serenity looked around at her friends.
Happily she noted, "The dresses look just as pretty as I had imagined
them to be! Each of you looks beautiful!"

All four girls curtsied as Vesta said, "Thank you, for your kind words
your "High-ness"!"

Wincing, Serenity chuckled at Vesta's bad pun.


With Serenity gone to the fitting for the day, Elios was once again
alone at the Palace. He thought to himself that if it wasn't for the
night, it wouldn't be worth the trip to go there. Elios was sitting on
a bench in the garden reading when he saw Terrance walk toward the
Palace from the gym. Elios knew all the Senshi were with Serenity and
the King and Queen were at a social event until dinner. Elios could
tell by Terrance's walk there wasn't anyone around for him either.
Thinking about it a moment, Elios then shut the book and hurried after
him.

Elios caught up to Terrance in the main hall and said, "Hi."

Terrance looked a little surprised and said hello too.

Elios got in step with Terrance as he said with a smile, "I've been
abandoned again. Do you have plans, or could we hang around together?"

Terrance admitted, "I don't have plans." They decided to go eat lunch.

At first the conversation was a bit awkward, but soon they found they
had a common interest in plants, and things improved. While finishing
lunch Elios described some of Elysion's unique plants to Terrance.

Smiling, Terrance said, "I throw purple roses that come from Elysion."

Elios laughed and said, "Yes, I know."

As they left the table, Terrance asked, "Elios, would you like to see
how we use the roses?"

Curious, Elios said he'd like that.

In the Senshi Practice Room, Terrance demonstrated to Elios how he
pulled and threw his roses.

After discussing it and seeing it done, Elios realized that Terrance
and the King, due to their connection to the Earth, inherited a small
invisible tunnel that was connected to Elysion. Elios explained, "A
tunnel would magically find and pick the flowers it's tuned to, then
store them. As the flowers are used, they would be replenished."

He continued, "If I'm right, I should be able to show the tunnel
opening to you."

Terrance watched amazed as Elios generated a beam of light from his
forehead jewel and aimed it at Terrance's hip. They both clearly saw a
shadowy tunnel opening with a purple rose poised and ready to be
thrown.

Terrance reached down and touched the rose, but didn't pull it. Elios'
beam faded and Terrance said, "I didn't know you had powers. I thought
you could only pray."

Elios shook his head no and said, "I can do other things." He didn't
elaborate on what the other things were though.

Terrance thought, [Elios would make a great poker player.] He made a
mental note to someday teach Elios the game.

Elios looked at Terrance and asked, "Would you like to see Elysion?"
Terrance smiled and said sure, so they headed back to the garden.

A Pegasus flew over them and landed. Elios was about to introduce
Terrance and the Pegasus when he realized they had met previously.

Elios said, "Terrance this is Pollux. He is the Pegasus you rode when
you saved King Endymion from the dimensional monster."

Terrance looked surprised for a moment then said, "Good! There is
something I forgot to do that day."

Terrance knelt down on one knee in front of the Pegasus. Crossing his
right arm over his chest with his fist on his heart, Terrance bowed to
Pollux.

Elios stood there speechless with surprise as Terrance looked up into
the Pegasus' eyes and said, "Pollux, I have been remiss in not saying
thank you to you. You put your life on the line to help us save the
King. We would not have succeeded without you. Please accept my
gratitude for your service to our King and Kingdom."

The Pegasus looked to Elios and his eyes questioned if he should answer
Terrance. Elios nodded his head yes.

As Terrance stood he heard a deep resonant voice respond in his mind,
[Dear Prince of Earth, I accept your gratitude. I was honored to help
the Royal Family of Earth.]

Looking at Elios, Terrance asked, "Did Pollux just answer me?"

Elios said with a smile, "Yes he did. Pegasuses communicate
telepathically in their Pegasus form and speak verbally in their human
form. Not many surface humans know that about us."

"Us? Human form?!" Terrance questioned with surprise, "You're a
Pegasus?!"

As Elios nodded his head yes, he chuckled at Terrance's shocked
expression.

Terrance asked, "Does Serenity, the King or the Queen know?"

Elios responded, "Yes, they all know."

Slowly shaking his head, Terrance said, "Elios, there is a lot more to
you than I thought."

Shrugging his shoulders, Elios asked, "Are we going to go?"

Terrance looked at Pollux a moment then turned back to Elios. Curious,
he asked, "Why do you ride if you're a Pegasus too?"

Elios laughed and said, "It's a long story. I'll explain it on the
way." Elios paused then said, "A Pegasus can easily carry two full
grown men, but as you said, I can fly too. Maybe I will stretch my
wings a bit."

Terrance shrugged and said, "Sure, whatever you want."

Elios started his transformation. His pure white, feathered wings
spread open wide, a bright glow washed over his body and then he stood
there as a Pegasus.

Tossing his mane, Elios reared up to stretched his muscles. He shook
out his wings then snapped them smartly into place. He realized he
hadn't used this form in a very long time.

Even though he was warned, it still surprised Terrance to actually see
Elios transform. However, having been raised with Yomas he had seen
stranger things than this.

Pollux laughed and teased Elios, [It's about time you lazy butt!] He
turned to Terrance and said, [Hop on.]

Terrance mounted and the two Pegasuses and Prince flew away.

When they got to Elysion, Elios introduced Terrance to his sisters then
showed him the Crystal Forest.

Terrance laughed at the funny antics of the Fairies, and with their
help, they found a bush of Terrance's purple roses.

Terrance touched a rose and he could feel the power in the bush
resonate with his own power. The bush started to glow and suddenly all
the buds on the bush burst into full bloom.

The Fairies clapped and cheered joyfully at the show.

The two men found a few other interesting plants then went to meet all
four of the Pegasus brothers.

Elios introduced the other three brothers to Terrance as Castor,
Jabbath and Volans.

Terrance found it was easier to tell which brother was which when they
were in their human forms because they each wore a different outfit.
Otherwise, they truly looked identical to him. He found he really
liked the four brothers. They each had a dry sense of humor. They
also teased Elios unmercifully, as if he was their younger brother.

Handing Terrance a drink, Pollux, the punster of the group, said with a
smile, "Elios takes life way too seriously. Our job is to make him
lighten up."

Elios took the ribbing good-naturedly until the subject turned to
Serenity. He blushed as the brothers told Terrance about Elios' rules
for them regarding her. They joked that it was going to be very
difficult to not talk to Serenity during the wedding.

Elios finally said, "Okay, I can take a hint. You can talk to
Serenity."

The brothers laughed. Jabbath, who could never resist an opportunity
to tease, nudged Elios. He asked, "So you still won't let us nuzzle,
kiss and cuddle with her?"

Elios glared and said, "No! And if any of you try, I'll, I'll fire
you!"

The brothers laughed harder at Elios' vehemence. Jabbath nudged him
again and triumphantly crowed, "Got you!"

Elios sighed as he wondered, [Why do I let them push my buttons?]

Terrance laughed and thoroughly enjoyed listening to their banter.

Elios looked at his watch. He realized they needed to leave if they
wanted to be on time for dinner. Also, Serenity would be back soon so
he really wanted to get going.

The brothers could see Elios wanted to hurry.

Jabbath, as usual started the teasing. He winked at Terrance as he
yawned and said, "I'm too tired to fly. Cas, you can fly them."

Castor sighed but played along as he said, "I can't fly. I have a
headache. Let Poll do it."

Crossing his arms, Pollux huffed, "I just flew! It's not my turn.
Lans can do it."

Barely able to suppress his grin, Volans whined, "I can't do it! I
pulled a wing muscle! J should do it."

Jabbath concluded their teasing by shrugging his shoulders and saying,
"I guess you'll just have to stay here then, Elios."

Elios sighed and said, "Come on guys!" He stood up and walked outside.

Terrance laughed again as he followed Elios. All four brothers were
still laughing. Castor however, did stand up and follow them out.

Elios thought to himself, [I think I'll ride this time.] He shrugged
his shoulders and could feel his back muscles protesting the workout
they got earlier.



Chapter 4


The three men chatted and soon they landed in the Crystal Palace
gardens.

Serenity ran out the door. She stopped dead in her tracks as she saw
Elios and Terrance dismount the Pegasus. They both smiled at her.
Elios stepped forward and hugged Serenity tightly. Terrance turned to
Castor to thank him for the ride and say good-bye.

Terrance turned back around. Elios and Serenity were kissing like they
hadn't seen each other in a year. He smiled and lightly poked both of
them in the side as he walked past.

Serenity broke the kiss with a surprised squeal and Elios started.

Laughing, Terrance winked and said, "Don't miss dinner you two!" as he
headed into the Palace.

Serenity looked at Elios questioningly. Elios smiled and said,
"Terrance and I decided to hang out together today."

"And you didn't kill each other?!" Serenity asked incredulously.

Elios laughed as they turned to go to dinner. He said, "Actually, we
had a good time."

During dinner Terrance told the King and Queen what he and Elios had
discovered about the roses and about their trip to Elysion. Elios
added comments to the conversation and answered questions.

As Serenity listened she realized this was probably the most pleasant
dinner her family has had since she and Elios started dating. She was
thrilled Terrance and Elios were getting along better. It was as if
they both finally recognized and accepted the fact that they were going
to be family now. They were even laughing and teasing each other.
Both men were very important to her and it had saddened Serenity that
they didn't seem to like each other.

Serenity's eyes suddenly filled with tears that overflowed down her
cheeks. Immediately she was in the center of her family's attention.

Putting his arm around her with concern, Elios asked, "Maiden, what's
wrong?"

Serenity tried to stop crying as she grabbed a napkin to wipe her
cheeks. She felt very confused. She tried to laugh at her absurd
tears but they still kept falling. "N-Nothing's wrong," Serenity
hiccupped. "I-I'm really very happy." Serenity then put her face in
her napkin and cried earnestly.

Everyone was at a loss until Usagi recognized what was going on.

Reaching out to pat Serenity's arm, her mother said, "It's okay dear.
I'm glad you're happy."

Serenity nodded her head and laughed even as she continued to cry.

Elios and Terrance were totally confused. Terrance said, "She's happy?
She doesn't look very happy!"

Mamoru started to chuckle as he remembered his wife acting like this
when she was pregnant. He started to explain Serenity's behavior to
his son and soon to be son-in-law, but then realized Terrance didn't
know Serenity was pregnant. Mamoru looked at Usagi questioningly.

She nodded her head and quietly said, "Serenity dear, I think someone
here needs you to tell him what's going on."

Serenity looked up at her mother and the Queen subtly nodded toward
Terrance.

Serenity realized what her mother meant. She took a shaky breath and
quietly said, "Terrance, I'm pregnant."

Out of everything Terrance could have expected Serenity to say, that
statement wasn't even on the list. He looked at her blankly and said,
"Huh?"

Serenity sighed and repeated herself.

Terrance finally comprehended what she had said. Stunned, he
exclaimed, "You're pregnant! What did you go and do that for?"

Serenity burst into tears again and this time she was definitely not
happy. She buried her face in Elios' shoulder and her sobs shook her.

Tightening his arm around Serenity, Elios looked at Terrance
accusingly. He said, "It didn't happen on purpose, but it's not
something we regret. It just makes things…complicated."

Terrance was tempted to blame Elios for what had happened. He *really*
wanted to, but he remembered the talk he had with Serenity in the
garden before the couple was engaged. He also remembered Serenity's
expression when she and Elios had flown away on the Pegasus together.
It was obvious she had gone willingly. With a sigh he admitted it was
inevitably that this would have happened.

Terrance now felt like a heel for making Serenity cry. He said, "I'm
sorry. I didn't mean to sound so negative. I'm just very surprised
that's all. If you two are happy about it then I'm happy for you too."

Serenity looked up and brokenly said, "I-I am happy about it," she then
put her face back in her hands and sobbed.

Mamoru knew it was time for him to explain, "When a woman is pregnant
her hormone levels go haywire, and that makes her very emotional.
She'll cry about everything, even happy things. She'll also be very
sensitive and get her feelings hurt easily."

He looked at Elios and said, "This is where you really need an extra
large dose of patience. She's truly not trying to drive you and
everyone else crazy. She's at the mercy of her hormones and she is
even driving herself crazy. It doesn't help for you to also get upset.
You need to be extra understanding and just wait it out. It doesn't
last forever."

Usagi rubbed Serenity's arm soothingly and said to her daughter, "I
have to admit this was a part of being pregnant that I didn't like. It
does go away eventually, but until it does you need to be patient with
yourself and keep remembering that you're loved and your family
understands."

Serenity nodded and again wiped her eyes and nose. She took a deep
breath and tried to calm herself.

Elios still had his arm around her. Leaning over, he kissed her cheek
gently and said, "I Love You, my Maiden."

Serenity gave him a tremulous smile and whispered, "I Love You too."

Everyone sighed because Serenity's episode seemed to be over. They ate
silently a few moments then Terrance looked up. He hesitantly asked,
"I was wondering, is your baby going to be a Pegasus?"

Elios answered, "No and maybe."

Concerned, King Endymion looked up and quickly said, "I thought you
said the babies would be born in the same form as their mother, a human
form."

Nodding, Elios said, "That's correct. There's no chance of Serenity
delivering babies in Pegasus form, but we won't definitely know if they
are Pegasuses or not until their fourth year." We really don't have
any idea what our children will be like genetically. I'm guessing they
will be girls because of the Silver Crystal's power, but after that who
knows."

Terrance still looked confused, "They? Girls? Babies?" he asked.

Laughing at Terrance's confusion, Serenity said, "Oh yeah, that's the
other thing. We're having twins."

Again stunned, Terrance repeated, "Twins? Are you sure?"

Elios said, "Yes. Sailor Mercury confirmed it. Pegasuses always have
identical multiples."

Terrance said, "Oh. I see, like the four brothers. Then I guess your
sisters are twins too, right?"

Elios nodded his head yes.

Terrance then asked, "Are you a multiple?"

Looking uncomfortable, Elios answered, "Yes, triplets." He knew what
Terrance's next question would be and he didn't want to answer it.

"Where are your brothers?" Terrance asked.

Elios looked to the King and his eyes made a mute appeal for help.

That was when King Endymion realized Elios' predicament. He said,
"Terrance," and his son looked at him.

Elios looked down with relief. Serenity held his hand and squeezed it
comfortingly.

Terrance realized that for some reason the answer to his question was
unsettling. He said, "I didn't mean to intrude. You don't have to
answer."

King Endymion sighed and tried to pick his words carefully, "This is a
difficult subject for a number of reasons. If Elios doesn't mind, I'll
explain."

Without looking up, Elios nodded his head yes.

The King explained about Elios' parents being ambassadors. When he got
to the part about how Elios' family died, he tried to be gentle but
also honest.

Terrance was stunned and he felt horrible about what had happened.
About what his mother had done. Shaking his head, Terrance tried to
speak, but he couldn't trust his voice. He stood up and quickly left
the dining room.

King Endymion looked at his wife. She nodded, and he followed
Terrance.


Elios hadn't looked up yet and he was squeezing Serenity's hand so
tight it hurt. She placed her other hand over his and gently rubbed it
until he loosened his grip. Finally Elios hoarsely whispered, "I
didn't want to hurt him like that."

Usagi got up and moved to a chair next to Elios. She put her arms
around his shoulders and hugged him. Serenity put her arms around his
waist and hugged him too. They sat together quietly a few moments then
Serenity grabbed three napkins and handed one to each of them.

The Queen quietly said, "Elios, we know and I'm sure he knows you
didn't want to hurt him. Even though it's hard, I think in the end it
will be better that the truth is known. Terrance will be okay so
please don't worry."

Elios said, "I hope he knows I don't blame him or hold him responsible
for what happened. I know he was an innocent in a bad situation just
as much as I was." Elios looked up at his soon to be mother-in-law.
He hesitated a moment then gave in and hugged her. He whispered,
"Thank you for caring."

Usagi smiled and said, "Of course I care. You're a part of our family
too."

Elios almost cried again as he thought, [Yes, this is my family now.]

Of course, Serenity continued to cry the entire time. What her mother
had said meant a lot to her and now she cried happily. Wiping her eyes
again, Serenity looked up and said, "You're right Mother, this crying
part of pregnancy is the pits!" This made them smile.


King Endymion had followed Terrance to his room. He knocked on the
door then went in. Terrance was sitting on the side of his bed. He
held his face in his hands.

His father sat down, put his arms around Terrance and hugged him.

Finally, Terrance couldn't fight it anymore. He leaned against his
father and sobbed as tears coursed down his face. Terrance gulped and
choked out, "God, I hate my mother! I hate how she hurt so many
people!" His breath was ragged. He hiccupped then hoarsely whispered,
"I wish she had miscarried or I never existed. Maybe then she would
have had the strength to resist Metalia!"

His father hugged him tighter and started to cry as he heard Terrance's
whispered wishes. He rocked Terrance gently and pleaded, "Don't,
please don't. You can't blame yourself. You weren't even born then.
If you need someone to blame then blame your mother and me. We were
the ones who made the decisions that led to all this. Not you!" His
father brokenly whispered, "It hurts me so much to hear you say it was
your fault! Please believe me, it was never your fault!" Tears ran
down King Endymion's cheeks as he said, "I'm sorry, very sorry that
what I chose hurt you and so many others."

Terrance looked up at his father and said, "I know you didn't mean to
hurt me. I forgave you a long time ago."

The King smiled at his son through his tears, "Thank you, he whispered.
"Now please," he implored, "promise me you will never ever blame
yourself again for the things I did."

Terrance finally saw the circumstances of his past clearly. Blaming
himself was useless and it couldn't change what happened. It would
only tear him down and consume his life. Terrance knew he didn't have
to like what had happened in the past. He did have to accept it, move
on from it and take any possible good produced in spite of it, with
him. He took another look at his father's tears and finally realized
just how much his father needed him. Terrance was proof to the King
that something good had still managed to come out of all the sorrow.

Terrance hugged his father and said, "I promise."


Elios and Serenity had gone back to their room and this time it was
Serenity's turn to hold and comfort Elios. In the protection of her
arms he haltingly whispered to her about the fears he had when he was
forced to leave home at the age of ten without his brothers or parents.
He had to be strong for his frightened four-year-old sisters as the
three of them went to a strange land with strange and intimidating
Pegasuses. He spoke of the strict training they received and the
difficulty of being so young and different from everyone else. As much
as he could, he had shielded and cared for his sisters, and their need
for him gave him a reason to keep going.

He then said that after they had been in Elysion a year, all the
priests had hurriedly left. They said they'd be back, but as days then
weeks went by, Elios realized no one would be returning. A few Pegasus
refugees managed to find their way back to Elysion from the surface.
Their horror stories answered most of Elios' questions. When he heard
that all of Earth's Royalty was slaughtered by Beryl, he knew he and
his sisters had no one on the surface to return to.

Elios had known his special mission was to pray, and to protect the
Golden Crystal but his training hadn't been completed. He read the
ancient texts and tried his best to teach himself and his sisters. He
also managed to keep the Shrine running.

Eventually, they made friends with the other Pegasuses. For more than
a millennium Elysion remained hidden and safe. Elios had been accepted
as the Shrine's Priest and eventually other Pegasuses asked him to
train them as priests too. His staff slowly grew and this was his life
until Nephrenia attacked.

Serenity cried for the lonely little boy and two scared little girls.
She asked, "Why did your parents allow you and your sisters to be
taken?"

Elios explained, "The Priests needed someone who was comfortable
working with surface humans for the special mission of the Golden
Crystal. They searched both Elysion and the surface. When they found
out that we were raised more as humans than as Pegasuses, and that we
had experience from our father's work as an ambassador, they decided
one or more of us would meet their needs."

He continued, "My parents at first refused. I don't know what
pressures the Priests used, but somehow over a few weeks they got my
parents to relent. My mother was pregnant at the time and I think they
wore my parents down. The Priests chose me because I was the first
born, and they chose my sisters because they needed Shrine Maidens."

Elios whispered, "I remember my mother crying as we were flown away and
my father's sad eyes as he held her. I never saw my parents again. I
don't even know if I had new brothers or sisters." Elios was exhausted
and emotionally drained. Finally he fell asleep.

As Serenity held him, she thought about all he had said. She now had a
better understanding of Elios' insecurities and fierce protectiveness
of her. She could see how his hard life had molded him into the man he
was. She loved him even more as she realized, even when he was facing
great fear, Elios was driven by his desire to do the right thing and
care for others. Serenity also finally fell asleep.


A few hours later, Elios woke up. His back was cold because they had
forgotten to pull the covers up. Now he was awake and he didn't want
to lie there tossing and turning. He carefully got up then covered
Serenity snugly with the blankets. Elios got dressed and left to walk
in the gardens for a while.

The night air was cool and Elios welcomed the solitude. He wasn't used
to talking with others about his past. The quiet moonlight soothed his
jumbled raw emotions. Elios stopped and sat on a bench and watched
wispy clouds glide past the Moon. When he heard a noise, he
reflexively turned to look down the trail.

A person crossed the path Elios was on and in the moonlight he could
see it was Terrance. With a faint smile Elios realized Terrance
probably couldn't sleep either. Elios wished there was a way he could
let Terrance know he didn't hold what had happened against him.

After spending time together that afternoon and seeing Terrance with
the four Pegasus brothers, Elios had a lot more respect and admiration
for Terrance. Elios admitted to himself that the only thing Terrance
had done to annoy him was that he had tried to protect Serenity. Elios
thought it was ironic that if he had accepted Terrance's protectiveness
instead of circumventing it, their lives would be much easier right
now.

Elios realized Terrance could be a loyal friend. Wishing he could find
a way for them to start over, Elios thought for a moment. He smiled as
a possible solution formed in his mind. Standing up from the bench, he
resolutely headed in the direction he had seen Terrance go.

Elios found Terrance sitting on a bench in front of the fountain at the
center of the gardens. He stepped out from the shadows of the path and
Terrance looked up quickly. Elios smiled and hoped it conveyed his
friendly intentions.

Terrance stared at Elios a moment then said, "Can't sleep?" Elios
shook his head no and sat on the fountain's edge. Terrance sighed and
said, "Me neither."

Elios sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "You know
Terrance," Elios quietly said, "I'm not angry or upset at you about the
past. We were both caught up in the tide of something much bigger than
us and we both suffered because of it. I see us as more like war
survivors. We survived to live this day and love. Each day we make
good of our lives is another day we defeat what harmed us."

Terrance looked up and smiled. Elios could see the brightness of
unshed tears in Terrance's eyes as he quietly said, "Thank you."

Elios took a deep breath as he thought, [It's now or never.] He opened
his mouth and said, "Terrance, I was wondering, would you be willing to
stand with me at the wedding and be my best man?"

Terrance looked up stunned and was sure he had heard wrong. "Best
man?" he questioned.

Elios nodded his head yes and said, "You don't have to if you don't
want to, but I'd really like you to. You can think about it if you
want."

Terrance sat quiet a moment then looked up and smiled at Elios. It was
the first smile that had reached his eyes since dinner. "Sure," he
said, "I'd like to be your best man."

Elios also smiled happily and said, "Thank you."

The two men sat a few moments more and finally Elios said, "I'm
starting to get tired so I'm going to head back. Are you heading back
soon?"

Terrance stood and stretched then yawned. Elios caught the yawn and
yawned in return. They both laughed and Terrance said, "Yes, I guess I
am ready to head back."

They turned to walk down the path to the palace. Terrance asked,
"Besides standing up front during the wedding, what else does a best
man do?"

Elios shrugged his shoulders and said, "I think we're going to have to
ask the Queen tomorrow. She'll know. She knows everything."

Terrance and Elios continued to chat as they headed back to their
rooms. Before Elios fell asleep he decided he was very happy with how
things had worked out.



Chapter 5


The next afternoon Elios and Serenity decided to plan their honeymoon
while they ate lunch in their room. Serenity suggested, "Lets take a
month to tour the planets. I've always wanted to do that."

Elios looked at her incredulously. He said, "A month! That's a very
long time. I was thinking more along the lines of a weekend at the
Moon. I've heard the museums there are phenomenal."

Now it was Serenity's turn to stare with shock at Elios. She quietly
said, "Yes, the Moon's museums are great. I helped set most of them
up!"

Elios could see they were not going to resolve this easily. Sighing,
he said, "Maybe it would be best if we put off traveling until after
the babies are born."

"If we do that, we might never go anywhere!" Serenity exclaimed. She
saw the look in Elios' eyes and realized, with a sinking feeling, that
he didn't think that would be a terrible thing.

Elios watched as tears welled up in Serenity's eyes. Reaching across
the small table to gently rubbed Serenity's hand, he asked, "Maiden,
what's the big deal about this? We can go away together anytime. Why
do we have to go for so long right now?"

"What's the big deal?!" Serenity whispered incredulously. "I'll tell
you what the big deal is," she said as she pulled her hand out of
Elios' grasp and glared at him. Her voice began to get louder as she
continued, "A honeymoon is supposed to be a special trip right after
the wedding when you enjoy time together alone and have time to recover
from the wedding! It's not supposed to be only two days long or
include babies and it's not supposed to happen years later!"

Becoming exasperated, Elios rebutted, "That's all well and good, but I
can't just leave the Shrine like that!"

Serenity exclaimed, "The Shrine?! That's what this is all about?!"
Hurt filled her voice as tears again filled her eyes then ran down her
cheeks, "You aren't willing to leave the Shrine to go on your honeymoon
with your wife?!"

Elios now regretted his hastily said words. They had not come across
as he had meant them. He tried again, "No, it's not that at all. I
*do* want to go and spend time with you, but…"

"But what?!" Serenity demanded.

Elios sighed as he finally admitted, "But I've never taken a vacation
from the Shrine and I don't have back up."

Serenity stared at him with astonishment. She faintly asked, "Never?"

Elios amended, "Well yes, except for the time Nephrenia captured me."

Serenity started to giggle then she fell over and laughed out loud.
"Elios," she gasped, "If you count the time you spent as a prisoner of
war a vacation, then I definitely don't want you to chose what we're
doing for our honeymoon!"

Elios wasn't sure if he should be offended or laugh at her comment.

Serenity finally calmed down enough to deal with the real issue, "What
about your sisters? Can they be taught what to pray or how to do what
you do?"

Elios thought a moment then answered, "It's not so much that they need
to pray. I think I can do that remotely, although I don't know if it
will work if I leave the Earth. I've never done it before. The issue
is more Shrine administration." He hesitantly continued, "I guess I
can try to train my sisters."

Serenity nodded her head yes and firmly stated, "You need to do this
and not just for the honeymoon. I'm going to need you around when the
babies are born. I won't like it if you have to spend all your time at
work. You have two weeks left to work this out. We are going on a
honeymoon."

Elios sighed when he realized Serenity was serious. This wasn't
something he had considered about marriage and babies. He had always
run everything. The Shrine had been his life and he was comfortable
with his control of things. He now realized a lot of that was going to
change.

Serenity saw Elios' expression and heard him sigh. She asked with
concern, "Are you okay?" as she slid her hand, palm up, across the
table as a peace offering.

Swallowing, Elios took her hand in his. He raised it to his lips for a
gentle kiss then held her hand against his cheek. "Yes," he quietly
answered, "It's just…this is the closest we've ever come to a fight and
I don't like fighting." He whispered, "I'm sorry. I guess I'm
starting to feel overwhelmed by all this."

Chuckling sympathetically, Serenity admitted, "That's okay. I've been
feeling overwhelmed all along." She continued, "How about we try a
compromise?" She thought a moment then offered, "I guess a two week
honeymoon would be okay."

Elios swallowed again and hesitantly said, "That still sounds like a
very long time to be away from Elysion. Maybe one week?"

Serenity sighed and said, "Okay, how about one week off planet and one
week in Elysion? However, you have to promise not to work that week."

Elios asked, "Can I still pray?"

Serenity answered, "Yes, but no other Shrine duties."

Relieved, Elios smiled and said, "I think I can live with that."



Chapter 6


The wedding plans continued, and became frantic, as the actual day got
closer. When the Queen had asked her daughter if she had taken care of
something she had asked Serenity to do two days before, Serenity burst
into tears. Concerned, Usagi put her arm around her distraught
daughter and asked, "Serenity dearest, what's wrong? This is the
second time I've seen you cry today."

Serenity leaned against her mother and sobbed, "There's just so much
left to do and no more time! I'll never be able to get it all done!
I'm so afraid I will forget to do something important and ruin
everything and I can't seem to stop crying! Crying only two times in a
day is a *good* day for me!"

Usagi led her daughter to a bench in a nearby hallway alcove. Sitting
them both down, she handed Serenity a tissue then hugged her close.
Once Serenity's sobbing slowed, her mother gently suggested, "Maybe you
should let the Senshi and I handle the rest of the wedding
preparations. I don't want you to end up sick and miserable for your
own wedding day."

Serenity hesitated. She really didn't want to, but her mother did have
a point. Serenity admitted to herself that she really did need the
help. Reaching into her jeans pocket, she meekly said, "Okay Mother.
Here's my list of what I know is left to do. Thank you for offering to
help. Hotaru is flying in tomorrow. Maybe I should just concentrate
on getting her settled."

Neo-Queen Serenity took the notepad from her daughter, hugged her again
and said, "I think that's a good idea. For today, why don't you go
take a nap? You'll probably feel better and then you'll be up to
having some fun with Hotaru tomorrow. Don't worry about the list or
the wedding any more. I'll make sure it's take care of."

Serenity gave her mother a watery smile and a grateful hug then left to
do as she suggested.


The next day, Terrance went with Serenity to pick Hotaru up at the
Planet Transport station. He was a little nervous. He had never met
Hotaru and now he would be her escort at the wedding.

The Transport landed and Serenity strained to see the passengers as
they disembarked. Terrance noticed a very striking woman with purple-
black shoulder length hair and translucent alabaster skin step out from
the crowd.

Serenity suddenly squealed, "Hotaru!" and ran. She threw her arms
around the slender woman. Terrance thought Serenity would knock her
slight friend off her feet, but the violet-eyed girl never faltered.

Terrance heard Hotaru answer with a musical laugh, "Teeny Rini!" and he
stopped dead in his tracks. He was so surprised to hear someone call
his sister such a childish nickname that he forgot they had not yet
been introduced.

"Teeny Rini?!" Terrance exclaimed incredulously, "*Teeny Rini*?!"

Serenity, with her arm still around Hotaru, looked at Terrance and
glared. She said, "Only two people in the entire universe have ever
called me that, and you are not one of them. Don't even think of
trying it!"

Hotaru listened as Serenity chided the tall, good-looking man standing
in front of them, and she started to laugh. "This must be Terrance,"
she said.

Serenity nodded her head yes and said, "Hotaru, this is my brother,
Terrance. Terrance, this is Hotaru, my best friend for all time!"

Terrance smiled and stuck out his hand to Hotaru. "Hi, glad to meet
you. You must be someone very special for Serenity to let you call her
that."

Smiling, Hotaru shook his hand and said, "Well, I knew her when she
really was a Teeny Rini. She was even cuter then than she is now."
All three laughed as they went to get Hotaru's luggage.


Early the next morning, Terrance was alone in the Senshi practice room
practicing his power attacks. Terrance's chest muscles rippled under
his sleeveless T-shirt and his arm muscles bunched and flexed with
powerful and precise motions as he swiftly pulled and threw his roses.
This action had become mostly second nature to Terrance, so he let his
mind wander.

Soon, Terrance's thoughts turned to the intriguing woman he had met the
day before. [Hotaru has the same hair color as Sailor Mars,] he noted.
Thinking about it some more, he changed his mind, [No, Mars' violet
hair has a redder tint to it. Hotaru's has more of a bluish tint.]

Finishing his rounds, Terrance turned his attention to the score
posted. He was surprised to see it was unusually low for him. He
turned back to look at the spiral of roses on the wall and realized his
lack of attention had cost him. The spiral was a third bigger than
usual. "Damn!" he muttered with annoyance.

As Terrance turned around to take a drink from his water bottle, he
looked across the room at the computer console. Realizing he was
alone, his curiosity got the better of him.

Terrance sat down in front of the computer and logged in. Pulling up
Hotaru's profile, he read "Sailor Saturn" and looked at the list of her
attacks and power levels. It was hard for him to picture the slight,
quiet woman he had met, in a Senshi uniform. It was even harder to
believe that her power levels were comparable to Haruka's and
Michiru's.

The door to the Senshi practice room opened, and Terrance saw Hotaru
enter the room. He blushed as he realized he still had her profile on
the computer screen. Quickly, he logged off and stood up.

Hotaru startled when she saw Terrance and said, "Oh, Hi. I didn't see
you sitting there. I um, thought I'd check out the practice room, but
I can come back another time."

Smiling, Terrance said, "You don't need to leave. This room is set up
for more than one person to practice at a time."

Hotaru was hesitant to stay, but then she realized she didn't have a
good enough excuse to leave. "Okay," she said then added, "I haven't
been here in a very long time. Are the changing rooms still down that
hall?"

Terrance nodded his head yes, and Hotaru headed off in that direction.

Terrance turned back to the rose wall. He quickly filled in a tighter
and neater spiral. Predictably, the score was much better.

Sailor Saturn returned from the changing rooms carrying an impressive,
lethal-looking glaive that was taller than her.

With a quick glance, Terrance took note of Saturn's long slim legs,
tiny waist and full rounded…[*That's enough of that!*] he thought with
a mental kick in the butt. [Okay,] he added, [that answers the
question of what she looks like in a uniform.]

Looking around, Saturn turned toward a power wall and quietly said,
"Silent Glaive Surprise!" as she pointed her glaive at it. Distortion
ripples fanned out from the glaive blade and were absorbed by the wall.

Terrance, looking at the score, was shocked to see she had posted much
higher than her profile had listed. Without thinking, he exclaimed,
"Wow!"

Saturn immediately blushed crimson. She decided it was definitely a
bad idea to practice now.

Terrance realized she was leaving. He implored, "I'm sorry. That was
terribly rude of me. Please don't go."

Saturn hesitated. She looked at Terrance's contrite and hopeful eyes
and sighed.

He continued, "I was surprised. That score was much higher than what
was listed in the computer."

Saturn now stared at him.

Terrance blushed and looked down. [Good Job Ter!] he thought as he
realized he had just told her he was looking at her profile.

They stood silent a moment then Saturn quietly said, "The scores listed
here are very old. I've improved since I was here last.

Terrance nodded his head yes and said, "Well, I'm impressed. Your
attack is very powerful."

Laughing self-consciously she said, "I try to keep in shape. It
wouldn't be a good thing for my ultimate attack to be needed, and I
wasn't powerful enough to do the job."

Intrigued, Terrance asked, "Ultimate attack? What is it?"

She looked at Terrance with surprise then sadness haunted her eyes.
She said, "You don't know."

Terrance looked confused. "Know what?" he asked.

Walking over to the computer, she said, "I can't say it, but maybe it's
listed in the attacks data base and you can read about it."

Saturn logged in and looked down the list of attacks. They were in
alphabetical order and she soon found it. Terrance looked over her
shoulder as she clicked on the phrase, "Death Reborn Revolution".

The attack description screen appeared and Saturn blinked with surprise
as she read it. Chuckling, she said, "I can see Haruka helped program
this!"

Terrance looked at the screen. In the center of it was one sentence,

"*SAY YOUR PRAYERS!!*"

Perplexed, Terrance asked, "What does that mean?"

"That's what Haruka always says when she talks about my attack," she
explained. Suddenly Saturn became very serious and quietly said, "My
attack causes total planet annihilation."

Terrance's eyes widened at her words. "Total planet annihilation?" he
repeated.

Saturn nodded her head yes. Her eyes looked sadly resigned as she
braced herself for the response most people had to this information.

Terrance was thoughtfully silent for a moment then said, "Well, I can
see how that would be difficult to practice."

Looking up, Saturn stared at Terrance incredulously then started to
laugh. Wiping her eyes, Saturn gasped, "That is *not* the usual
response people have when they hear about my attack!"

"What's the usual response?" Terrance asked.

"Let's just say most people aren't comfortable being around someone who
can destroy their world," she answered.

Shrugging, Terrance said, "It's just a very powerful attack."

Saturn laughed again, "Yeah, 'Just…'" she said.

As Sailor Saturn logged off the computer she asked, "Are we going to
practice or not?"

"Sure," Terrance said with a smile.



Chapter 7


That evening was the wedding rehearsal. Sailor Mars, who would be
performing the ceremony, stood in her Priestess Robes and tried to
create order out of the chaos in the Shrine.

The four Pegasus brothers were there and it was the first time Serenity
and the Asteroid Senshi had seen them in their human forms. They
formed a very impressive line behind Elios as they entered the
sanctuary. All four were identical of course, and they all stood a
head taller than Elios. Each one had serious, dark chocolate eyes and
thick white-blond hair that fell in waves past their shoulders.

Serenity was impressed with the brother's fine looks. She looked at
her Senshi to see their reactions. She smiled, amused at their
surprised and dazed expressions.

Elios introduced everyone and Sailor Mars asked the wedding party to
line up in order. Elios and Serenity moved to the front with Terrance
and Hotaru behind them. That was when Serenity realized she had not
specified an order for the bridesmaids and groomsmen.

Serenity started to step out of line to set things up when Sailor Venus
stepped forward. Clasping her hands in supplication, she implored,
"Serenity, please let me do this!" Serenity hesitated with surprise.

Venus turned and quickly led each girl to a spot in the line. She then
looked at the brothers a moment. She took each brother, one at a time
by the arm, and led him to the side of a girl. Sailor Venus stepped
back to view her work. With a satisfied smile she said, "Good. Now
please be sure to remember who you're with."

Sailor Venus walked away and everyone looked questioningly at Serenity.
She shrugged her shoulders. Jabbath asked with a stage whisper, "Are
all your mother's friends like her?"

Serenity shook her head no. She laughed nervously and tactfully said,
"No, Sailor Venus is um, unique." The line up did look good so
Serenity left it and they moved on with the rehearsal.


The rehearsal dinner was at the Palace. The Shinto Shrine was only a
mile from the Palace so most people decided to walk back. As they
walked, the Pegasus brothers kept teasing the Asteroid Senshi by
trading coats with each other. The rest of their outfits were
identical, so the coats were the only way the girls could differentiate
which brother was which. Elios and Serenity walked with their arms
around each other, and Terrance had offered his arm to Hotaru. By the
time they got to the Palace, they had shaken the boisterousness out of
themselves and were ready to settle down to the dinner.

Elios' sisters and their families were also invited to the rehearsal
dinner and given rooms at the Palace. The meal went well and everyone
got along fine.


After dessert, Venus sat down next to Hotaru. With a smile she asked,
"So, how has your visit been so far?"

Hotaru smiled and said, "Very nice. I'm enjoying seeing old friends
and meeting new ones."

Venus asked, "Oh, new ones like Terrance?"

Hotaru responded, "Yes, and also the Pegasus brothers and Elios'
family."

"So, how long are you going to stay?" Venus asked.

"I'll be leaving the day after the wedding." She answered.

Venus looked surprised and a bit annoyed. Taking a sip of her drink
she said, "Serenity is really very happy you're here. With all the
wedding plans she said she hasn't been able to properly visit with you.
Why don't you consider staying longer? After they get back from the
honeymoon, Elios will be returning to work. Serenity would have more
time to visit with you then."

Hotaru thought about Venus' suggestion. She asked, "What would I do
during the two weeks she's away?"

Terrance, who had been talking with Elios and his sister, Pleione, had
just returned to his seat. Turning to Terrance, Venus said, "You'll
keep her company. Won't you Terrance?"

Terrance turned to look at Venus and Hotaru blushed crimson. He said,
"I'm sorry, I didn't catch what you said."

Venus explained, "Hotaru is staying a few more weeks. I told her you
wouldn't mind showing her around and keeping her company until Serenity
gets back from her honeymoon."

Terrance smiled and responded, "Sure, I can do that."

"Good," Venus said, "It's settled then. Serenity will be thrilled to
hear you're staying. Bye." Venus got up and went to talk to Usagi.

Terrance looked at Hotaru. He shook his head and said with a smile,
"Hurricane Venus strikes again!"

Hotaru shrugged her shoulders and they both laughed.


The Pegasus brothers had continued their name game through dinner, and
the Asteroid Senshi were quickly growing tired of it. They huddled
together at a small table and tried to think of a way to stop the
brothers' teasing.

Juno enthusiastically suggested, "Ear tags. That will take care of the
problem." The other three girls giggled.

Ceres dryly noted, "I doubt we could get them to sit still for that.
Maybe necklaces?"

Vesta pointed out, "They could just trade them too."

The four girls silently tried to think of a better solution. While
they were thinking, Pallas pulled a ribbon out of a loose hair braid
she had. She absently wove it back together.

Ceres, who could usually be counted on to come up with a good idea,
watched Pallas. Suddenly she said, "I got it! We can braid a
different colored ribbon in each brother's hair. If we braid it small
and tight enough, it will be difficult for them to unbraid it."

"That's a great idea!" Pallas said. "But," she continued, "How do we
get them to let us do it?"

Never one for subtlety, Juno answered, "Tranquilizer gun!"

Vesta's idea wasn't much better. She smacked her fist in her hand and
offered, "We can attack them and knock them out!"

Ceres sighed then reasonably suggested, "How about we try to ask nicely
instead? I'm sure they're too polite to turn us down in front of
everyone here."

Pallas happily smiled and said, "I like that idea best!"

Each girl pulled a thin ribbon out of her hair. With sweet smiles they
walked back to the main table. The brothers were talking with the King
and Queen, Sailors Venus and Jupiter, Serenity, Elios, his sister
Alcyone and her husband.

The four girls stood as a group next to where the brothers were
sitting. The conversation stopped and everyone looked at them
quizzically.

Ceres took a deep breath and asked, "Would the four of you please allow
us to braid a ribbon in your hair?"

The four brothers looked at the girls with astonishment. The question
hung heavy in the air as the men hesitated to answer.

Together, all four girls added, "Please?" to their persuasion.

The brothers looked very uncomfortable with the idea, but the girls
continued to smile and wait patiently for an answer. Everyone was
looking at the brothers. They looked at each other then sighed and
nodded their heads yes.

Looking at Elios, Ceres pointed to the first brother and asked, "Which
brother is this?"

Elios stifled a laugh at his friends' predicament as he answered,
"That's Pollux. Castor is next then Volans and Jabbath."

The girls each stood next to a brother. Each one quickly took a small
section of hair from behind the ear of the brother and separated it
into three thin sections. They then deftly wove the ribbon and the
hair into a tight slender braid. The girls stepped back to look at
their work with satisfaction.

The brothers picked up and looked at their braids. They realized they
couldn't figure out where the ends of their hair were tucked in, or
where the ribbon ends were because of the complicated small weave.
Jabbath looked up at the girls. With consternation he asked, "How do
we take these out?"

Juno replied with a triumphant smile, "We'll show you after the
wedding."

Chagrined, the brothers looked at each other and sighed. They realized
their game was over.


After the rehearsal dinner, Usagi pulled Serenity aside and said, "You
need to spend your last night as a single woman with your attendants."
Serenity started to protest. Her mother firmly stated, "No arguments!"
then turned and walked away. Serenity sighed and went to tell Elios.

Serenity and Hotaru shared Serenity's old bedroom and the Asteroid
Senshi joined them for an impromptu party. Serenity was very tired,
and she knew she'd be miserable the next day if she didn't get some
sleep. However, every time she drifted off, someone would call her or
talk loudly and she'd wake up again.

Hotaru was getting annoyed with the other girls for being so
insensitive to Serenity in her condition. When the clock showed it was
one in the morning and the girls were still making noise, Hotaru lost
her temper. Sitting up from her mat, she growled, "You are being
really mean to Serenity! Don't you realize a pregnant woman needs to
sleep or she'll get sick?!"

Serenity sat up wide-eyed and gasped as the room fell silent.

The four girls looked at Serenity with confusion. Ceres asked,
"Pregnant?"

Hotaru realized her mistake. Covering her face with her pillow, she
flopped back down on her mat with a groan.

Jumping up, Serenity grabbed Hotaru in a hug as she said, "Hotaru, I'm
sorry, it's my fault! I forgot to tell you no one knew."

Suddenly, Serenity was grabbed by four pairs of arms and spun around.
All four girls squealed, "*Pregnant!* You're *PREGNANT?!*"

Serenity sighed and said, "Yes, I'm pregnant."

Pallas threw her arms around Serenity and squealed, "A baby! How
exciting! I can't wait to hold it!"

Vesta, ever the observant one, said, "I thought something was going on
with you. You haven't been yourself lately and I knew it couldn't just
be the wedding."

Ceres also noted, "Yeah, and you've been getting out of Senshi fighting
practice for weeks!"

Juno folded her arms as she scowled and said, "Young lady! Do you have
even one good reason why you didn't tell us?"

Serenity laughed nervously under Juno's scrutiny. Cautiously, she
answered, "Um, I really wasn't ready to. I wanted to keep it to myself
until after the wedding."

Juno opened her mouth to continue her chiding. Before she could,
Pallas again threw her arms around Serenity protectively and sternly
admonished, "Juno, leave her alone! You shouldn't upset her. She has
enough stress from the wedding and being pregnant!"

All five girls stared at Pallas with astonishment. Rarely did the
little butterfly show that she had teeth.

Juno mumbled, "Sorry."

Much to Juno's consternation, Pallas then let go of Serenity and
grabbed her up into a hug. "All's forgiven!" Pallas trilled, smiling
sweetly.

Ceres could see that Serenity really was drooping. Quickly taking
charge, Ceres stood up and said, "Hotaru is right. Serenity needs to
go to sleep. Let's go."

Each of the Senshi gave Serenity a hug and congratulated her. They all
then went to their rooms and Serenity finally got some much-needed
sleep.



Chapter 8


The Pegasus brothers had seen Serenity leave the dinner with her
friends.

Castor quietly laughed and said, "I bet that means Elios is going to be
sleeping alone tonight."

Jabbath smiled mischievously and suggested, "How about we take Elios
someplace?"

Pollux, who was always willing to go on an adventure, said, "Yeah,
that's a great idea! What about Crystal Tokyo? I'm sure there has to
be some nightlife there."

"Guys, what about the night guards?" Volans quietly asked.

Jabbath laughed, "That's easy. We'll get Terrance to go. He can take
care of the guards."

The brothers approached Terrance with the idea. Terrance responded
with a firm, "No, Serenity would kill us."

The brothers walked away disappointed. Jabbath, not one to be easily
dissuaded, thought about it a few moments. He stubbornly said, "We can
still do it. I'm sure we can fly out before the guards catch on.
We'll just have to wait until morning to come back." The other three
nodded their heads and the plan was on again.

Terrance, who had overheard them, sighed. [Sad thing is] he thought,
[that will work. The guards have no way of stopping them from flying
off Palace property.] Sighing again, Terrance walked back to the
brothers. "Fine, I'll go," he told them resignedly.

Curious, Castor asked, "Why did you change your mind?"

Terrance responded, "Even though it's Crystal Tokyo, it is still a
city. All cities have a seamy side. Serenity would really kill me if
something happened to you guys or Elios and she found out I let you go
alone."

The brothers shrugged their shoulders and proceeded to plan how they
would trick Elios.

Jabbath walked up to Elios. He put his arm around Elios' shoulder and
convincingly stated, "I forgot something I need in Elysion. I'm going
to fly back quick, get it and come back. I'm pretty tired so I was
hoping you would come with me to keep me company."

Elios unwittingly answered, "Sure." The brother's trap was set.

Jabbath and Elios walked out to the garden. Jabbath transformed, Elios
mounted and they flew straight up. The trap was sprung.

[Hey, what are you doing?] Elios asked with confusion.

Jabbath chuckled and cryptically answered, [You'll see.]

They circled high above the Palace and soon the other three brothers
flew up with Terrance riding on Pollux.

Elios was getting pretty steamed by this time. "What is going on?!" he
demanded out loud.

The brothers laughed and Jabbath said, [We decided to take you out
tonight.]

"But, I don't want to go out tonight! I want to go to sleep, get up
tomorrow and get married! Take me back now!" Elios commanded.

The brothers just laughed as they turned towards Crystal Tokyo.

Elios glared at Terrance and accusingly said, "So, you're in on this
too! I would have thought you knew better."

Terrance glared back and said, "Look, I don't like this either. They
were going to go no matter what. I came along to make sure they don't
get themselves or you killed!"

Elios sighed and said, "Okay, I'm sorry Terrance. I am glad you're
here."

Terrance nodded his head yes and said, "That's okay."

They flew over the brightly lit city. Terrance told them to land at a
park he pointed out.

As the brothers transformed back into their human forms, Terrance was
doing some serious and fast thinking. Having seen what Crystal Tokyo
offered at night when he was a soldier, he didn't want to run into
anything too rough or rowdy. The problem was, he had been off the
planet for six months and he had been the Prince for almost another six
months. A lot can change in a year.

As they walked down the street, the brothers alternately joked with
each other or teased Elios, who was not in a good mood.

Terrance thought to himself, [Five Pegasuses and a Prince. Nothing
inconspicuous about us!] He wanted to get the guys off the street
before people started to think they were a parade. They passed a Go-Go
bar with a neon sign that boasted "Topless Dancers", and Terrance kept
walking. He wasn't sure what the Pegasuses would think of that. They
came to a small average looking bar and Terrance thought it seemed
reasonable enough.

The six of them stepped into the bar. It was dark and noisy. As they
walked to a table, the other patrons stopped their conversations and
stared. The guys sat down. A skimpily clad waitress in impossibly
high heels walked up to their table. Her eyes looked all six of them
over very carefully as she took their drink orders.

Elios, who had decided being sullen wasn't going to change the
situation, started to relax and participate in the conversation.
Realizing this was a good opportunity to pay the brothers back for some
of their teasing, Elios reached out and tugged on Volans' braid. He
grinned and said, "I never thought I'd see the day when all four of you
were tied down."

To Terrance's surprise, the brothers reacted strongly to Elios'
comment. Blushing, Volans quickly tucked his braid back under his
hair. Castor and Pollux gave Elios annoyed looks, and Jabbath glared
as he growled, "We are not tied down!"

Laughing, because for once he wasn't the one squirming, Elios said, "It
looks like it to me!"

Castor pointed out, "At least these are temporary. You're tied down
permanently."

Elios laughed again and said, "Yes, that's true, but I like the idea.
However, you still have to get the girls to take them out. They might
refuse."

Self-consciously tugging on the offensive braid, Pollux resolutely
stated, "If they refuse, I'll cut mine!"

Elios laughed at Pollux's vehemence.

Terrance wasn't quite following the Pegasuses' conversation. He asked,
"Why would a braid tie you down?"

"Pegasuses have an especially strong dislike for any kind of
controlling or restraining device," Elios explained. "You would have a
very difficult time trying to put a bridle or a saddle on a Pegasus.
It would take a lot to get one to willingly wear something like that.
I think the Senshi only meant to stop the guys' name game with the
braided ribbon, but anything tied onto a Pegasus by someone else
symbolically represents that person's control of the Pegasus."

Chuckling, Terrance observed, "So, when the Senshi asked to put ribbons
in the brother's hair, they had backed the guys into a social corner."

Elios nodded his head yes, and the brothers sighed. Elios looked at
his friends and said, "You do know the girls didn't mean to use the
ribbons as controls, right?"

The brother's nodded their heads yes. Unhappily tugging on his braid,
Jabbath resentfully said, "Yeah, but it still feels like one."

Their drinks had arrived while they were talking. The men drank
quietly for a moment. Elios started to say something, but stopped when
a man they didn't know walked over and stood in front of their table.

Terrance looked at the man's dark suit, cocky stance and faked smile.
He knew what trouble smelled like, and this man reeked of it. Terrance
also realized the man would not have approached them unless he had
backup. A quick subtle glance around the room confirmed Terrance's
suspicions. He was glad their table was near the door.

The stranger's flat voice matched his eyes as he said, "You're new
around here."

Quietly Terrance answered, "We stopped for a drink."

The man looked at Terrance closely. He observed, "You're a dead ringer
for the Prince. You should do impressions." He then looked at all six
men and said, "My buddies and I have a game set up in the back room.
You look like you might enjoy some excitement, how about joining us?"

Terrance knew the man's word for game translated into card sharks
thieves and thugs. With an even tone he answered, "No thank you.
We're leaving when our drinks are done."

The Pegasuses were listening to the conversation with interest.
Terrance could tell the only one who had any idea they could be in
danger was Elios whose eyes showed suspicion.

Leaning over with his hands on their table, the stranger smoothly said
with a toothy grin, "Don't turn me down. You don't know what you're
missing."

Trying one last time, Terrance said with a quietly warning tone, "We're
not interested. We don't want any trouble. Leave us to our drinks."

The stranger started to say, "Oh, I think you," but never got to finish
his sentence. Hissing to Elios, "Get them out," Terrance stood up and
hit the man in one fluid motion.

Elios' telepathic command had got the brothers heading for the door.
The man's accomplices stood up then hesitated with disbelief as they
watched their colleague fly past them. The stranger was now
unconscious with his head imbedded in the far wall.

Terrance took the opportunity of the thug's delay to head for the door.
One of the thugs, who considered himself a martial artist, moved
between Terrance and the door. The fool leaped to the attack.
Terrance countered, and the thug hit the floor with his leg broken in
two places.

As Terrance emerged from the bar, he knew they didn't have much time.
He ordered, "Transform!"

Surprised the brothers asked, "Here?!"

Terrance yelled, "Yes, Now!"

The brothers finally complied. Grabbing Elios, Terrance leaped on
Pollux and commanded, "Fly!"

The brothers took off just as the other thugs charged out of the bar.
The expressions on their faces as they watched two of the men they were
chasing and four flying horses disappear into the night sky, were
classic. They looked at each other with astonishment. Realizing no
one would believe them, they decided to not believe it either. Turning
around, they quickly returned to the bar.

The six men were quiet as they flew back towards the Palace. The night
guards, who had been told by Terrance about the little expedition,
waved to them as they flew over the wall. They landed in the garden.
Terrance and Elios sighed with relief as they dismounted. The brothers
then returned to their human forms.

All four of the brothers were pretty shaken up by the close call. Even
Jabbath and Pollux felt like they had gotten more adventure than they
had been prepared for. Castor turned to Terrance and said, "You were
right. That was not a good idea. We're sorry for the trouble."

Terrance smiled and said, "Well, none of us died or got hurt, and it
was fun until those guys showed up. I don't think the trip was a total
loss."

Elios added with a laugh, "I know I wasn't bored!" The brothers
finally started to relax as they laughed with Terrance at Elios'
comment.

Elios waited until the brothers left to go to their rooms. He turned
to Terrance and said, "Thank you. I am really glad you were there.
Thank you also for not getting mad at my friends."

Smiling, Terrance said, "You're welcome. I did have fun, actually.
It's been a while since I've had the opportunity to really fight
someone. It's much more satisfying than practice."

Terrance walked down the hall towards his room. His father was
standing in an alcove waiting for him. "How did it go?" the King
asked.

Shrugging, Terrance said, "Okay I guess. We did run into some thugs at
the bar, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle."

The King looked concerned, "Are you sure you're okay? You weren't
hurt?"

Terrance shook his head no then said, "One thing that was odd was the
brothers. For all their size, I don't think they have an aggressive
bone in their bodies. They can be stubborn, but I doubt they've ever
made a fist, much less know what to do with it."

Sighing, King Endymion said, "Yes, I've gotten that impression too.
Apparently Elios is the most world-wise and aggressive one of the
bunch. I'm concerned for Elysion. It's idyllic, and very vulnerable.



Chapter 9


The next morning dawned clear, slightly breezy, sunny and not too warm
considering it was the end of July. In other words, perfect for a
Princess's wedding.

Amazingly, Usagi was up early. Even Mamoru was still asleep! Usagi
wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she was a bit nervous. This was a
momentous day, not only to the bride, but maybe even more so to the
mother of the bride. Usagi thought to herself, [I'm probably more
anxious today than I was for my own wedding. I guess my perspective is
different.] Usagi thought with a sigh, [I just want this day to be
perfect for her.]

The Queen had requested breakfast in her suite and was now sitting at a
table on the balcony overlooking the gardens. The Crystal Tokyo Times
had been included with her tray and she idly flipped through it as she
sipped her coffee.

She saw a headline on front of the local news section that caught her
eye.

"Extra-Terrestrials in Bar-Room Brawl?"

[That's weird,] she thought, [the Times doesn't usually report stuff
like that.] She started to read,

"A bar-room brawl in Crystal Tokyo last night ended with two injured.
An anonymous woman, who had witnessed the fight, described a group of
six men involved. She said, "Four of them were identical, unusually
large with long white hair. The fifth was smaller with white hair.
The sixth, the leader, had brown hair.""

"I'm going to kill them," Usagi quietly muttered as she continued to
read,

"The brown haired man had Herculean strength according to the woman.
She described the fight: "He lifted a big man up with one arm and threw
him across the room. It left a big hole in the wall. He also attacked
another man, broke the guy's leg in two places and knocked him out
cold."

An anonymous man also told our reporter he saw four flying horses with
two riders fly away from the front of the bar. He said both riders
were male, one had white hair and the other had brown hair.

An investigation of the incident is pending. Anyone with information
on the fight, or these men, should contact Crystal Tokyo police."

Usagi calmly picked up the local section of the paper. She folded it
so the article was on top then rolled the paper up and held it in her
fist.

Purposefully striding into the bedroom, Usagi walked up to the side of
the bed where Mamoru peacefully slept. She looked at him a moment then
resolutely smacked him in the head with the paper.

Mamoru woke up with a start, yelling, "Hey!" as he shielded his head
from any possible further blows. He peeked out from behind his arms
with bleary eyes and asked with confusion, "What was that for?!"

His wife stood by the bed with a furious expression on her face. She
held the newspaper article up in front of him and demanded, "You knew
they went out last night, didn't you?!"

Poor Mamoru's brain was not awake enough to find a good lie or excuse.
"Yes," he tiredly admitted.

Usagi glared at her husband as she yelled, "I can't believe you let
them go! They almost got themselves killed! It's even in the paper!!"

Mamoru sighed as he sat up and held out his hand for the article.
Usagi handed it to him. He struggled a moment to focus his eyes then
read it.

Sighing again, Mamoru observed, "Of course, the paper doesn't say that
the thugs had threatened them." Mamoru then chuckled, "Extra-
Terrestrials huh? I guess they could be called that."

Usagi put her hands on her hips and demanded, "What happened to 'little
or no contact with our world'?"

Mamoru nodded his head and said, "Yes, I probably shouldn't have let
them go. I don't know if I really could have stopped them though. Our
Palace security measures don't include a way to keep someone from
flying off Palace property. Onto the property, yes, but off, no."

Usagi thought about this then sighed, "Pegasuses bring unique problems
with them. I guess we have to get used to it."


Elios woke up slowly. His first thought was, [Where's Serenity?] He
then remembered and opened his eyes. Putting his hands behind his
head, he smiled as he thought, [Today we're getting married!]

An hour later, Elios heard a knock on his door. "Come in," he called.

Terrance opened the door and said as he came in the room, "Elios, my
job today is to make sure you're ready and on time for your…"

Terrance didn't finish his sentence as he stared. He could see Elios
had already finished eating breakfast, taken a shower and was dressed
in his tux. The only things he had left to do were tie his tie and put
on his coat. He even had his socks and shoes on!

Shaking his head in disbelief, Terrance complained, "You know, you take
all the fun out of being a best man. A little bit *EAGER*, I see!"

Blushing, Elios explained, "I couldn't sleep anymore, so I got ready."
He continued with a smile, "If you want a challenging job, go get the
brothers ready. I don't think they're even out of bed yet!"

Terrance laughed, "That job is big enough for both of us! Since you're
already ready, you can help with the brothers too. Come on."

They laughed together as they left Elios' room.


Hotaru had locked everyone out of the room and had drawn the curtains
shut. She tried to give Serenity every second of sleep she could get.
When a quiet knock and a voice from outside the door announced the
hairstylist and manicurist were there, Hotaru knew it was time. She
had tea and breakfast waiting. Shaking Serenity's shoulder, Hotaru
quietly said, "Wake up sleepy head. You can't sleep through your
wedding day."

Hotaru's words slowly broke through the fog of sleep in Serenity's
brain. Suddenly they registered in her consciousness. Her eyes flew
open and she quickly glanced at the window.

Hotaru smiled as she threw open the curtains. "See, it's beautiful
out! It's going to be a great day!"

Serenity shielded her eyes and said, "You're right, but it's a little
too bright right now. Please shut them again."

Hotaru complied then pulled Serenity to sit up as she said, "A bunch of
people are here to make you even prettier. Sit in this chair and eat
while I let them in."



Chapter 10


Sailor Mars stood in front of the Shrine's altar. Elios, in a white
tuxedo, quietly stood to Mars' left as he looked down the aisle to the
closed door. Terrance stood next to Elios. He wore a light gray
tuxedo with amethyst accents and an amethyst rose boutonnière. The
brothers also wore light gray tuxedos. Castor had golden-yellow
accents and a golden-yellow rose. Volans was next with crimson accents
and a crimson rose. Pollux had sapphire accents and a sapphire rose,
and Jabbath wore emerald accents and an emerald rose.

The brothers did not look comfortable in their outfits. Terrance and
Elios had spent a large part of the morning cajoling, bullying and
begging the brothers to keep the bowties on.

All the wedding party's flowers had come from Elysion.

The music's volume increased as the double doors opened. Juno entered
the sanctuary first. She wore a strapless, fitted, drop-waist, emerald
satin gown with a long flowing skirt draped from her hips. In her hand
she carried a bouquet of white and emerald-green roses. Next was
Pallas in a sapphire gown with white and sapphire-blue roses, Vesta was
in a crimson gown with white and crimson-red roses, and Ceres was in a
golden gown with white and golden-yellow roses. The four girls walked
to the front of the sanctuary, lined up to Sailor Mars' right then
turned toward the door. Hotaru entered the sanctuary wearing an
amethyst gown and carrying white and amethyst roses. As she moved to
stand by Sailor Mars, the music changed and swelled to a crescendo.

Everyone stood as King Endymion, in his lavender tuxedo, and Lady
Serenity began to walk down the aisle together.

Serenity looked every bit like the Princess she was. Her strapless
gown was white silk with hand-sewn seed pearls. It hugged the curves
of her body then flared into a full, layered skirt at her hips. The
skirt formed a train behind her. Serenity's hair had been styled with
her traditional buns, and the ponytails had been intricately woven
together to form a flowing filigree cape of pink curls down her back.
Her fingertip length veil was held on by a beautiful fire-rose gold and
diamond tiara. Elysion's Fairies had sent the tiara with Elios'
sisters as a wedding gift. Her bouquet had one rose of each color her
attendants carried, and the rest were white roses. A ribbon of each
color hung below the flowers and trailed down in front of her dress.

Elios had sworn to himself that he wouldn't, but when he saw his
beautiful maiden, he couldn't stop himself. Tears filled his eyes and
silently coursed down his cheeks. He was awed that she could love him,
and that she, and the little ones she carried inside of her, would be
his to love and cherish for all time.

The King and Lady Serenity approached Elios. Serenity paused. Lifting
her veil, she gave her father a kiss. She smiled and whispered, "I
love you Poppa, thank you."

Mamoru began to choke up, but pulled himself together. He knew he had
a job to do. As he held Serenity's hand he smiled and whispered, "I
love you too, Pumpkin." Mamoru place Serenity's hand in Elios' hand
and held them both tightly. With bright tear-filled eyes he quietly
said to both of them, "Be happy."

As her father sat down, Serenity looked at Elios. She smiled at him
and reached up to wipe the tears from his cheeks. It had touched
everyone's heart to see the love in Elios' eyes and to see his tears.
Even Sailor Mars paused a moment as she cleared her throat and wiped
her eyes.

As Serenity and Elios held hands, Sailor Mars began the Shinto
purification rites, offering and prayer.

The ceremony Serenity and Elios had put together with Mars' help was a
combination of Shinto and Christian rituals from the past that were
meaningful to them. When Serenity had asked Elios if there were
Pegasus marriage rituals to include in the ceremony, his answer had
been cryptic. Smiling, Elios had gently put his hand on her stomach
and said, "All Pegasus marriage rituals were fulfilled with these
little ones."

The time had come for them to speak their vows to each other. After
that they drank three sips of sake each, from each of the three
ceremonial cups, then exchanged matching fire-rose gold wedding rings.
The ceremony concluded with Sailor Mars pronouncing them husband and
wife. "Elios," she stated, "You may now kiss your bride."

Elios carefully lifted Serenity's veil. He smiled, gathered her into
his arms and gave her a very thorough, breath-draining kiss.

Everyone sat there as they waited for the kiss to end. After a few
moments Mars sighed, reached over and smacked Elios on the head. They
broke their kiss and Mars said with exasperation, "That's enough
kissing! Get out of here already."

Elios and Serenity both blushed as they clasped hands and headed down
the aisle. Everyone clapped and cheered as the wedding party left the
Shrine.



Chapter 11


Horse drawn carriages were waiting outside the shrine to take the
wedding party to a lake on the Palace property for pictures.

As photographers from the media and the official wedding photographers
fussed over poses and lighting, Elios listened to the brothers. For
the third time since the ceremony had ended, they asked the Senshi to
let them remove their bowties and for the girls to take their braids
out.

Finally with exasperation, the girls firmly said, "It's not time to
remove the bowties. We will tell you when you can, so please don't ask
again!"

The brothers shut their mouths and their expressions reflected their
emotions. Elios could see they were annoyed and dismayed that the
girls had said not to ask again. Elios could even see a little fear
that the girls might never let them go. Elios chuckled at his friends'
harmless discomfort.

Serenity heard Elios laugh. She looked at the brothers too and asked,
"What's so funny?"

Shaking his head Elios said, "I'm just watching the Senshi keep the
brothers on a short leash. It's very funny to watch them chafe under
the girls' control."

Perplexed, Serenity responded, "What do you mean by, "the girls'
control"?"

Terrance walked up while Elios was explaining to Serenity the
significance of the braids. Serenity covered her mouth and giggled as
she said, "I'm sure the girls have no idea what they did."

Laughing, Terrance added, "It's a good thing the girls did it though.
I was getting tired of arguing with the brothers about the bowties.
The girls told them to stop asking and the brothers haven't complained
since!"

Elios chuckled and joked, "After this, the brothers may not want to
come back to the surface for a while."

Serenity could tell Elios was joking, but what he said still caused her
some concern. Worried, she asked, "Could the girls really offend them
so much that they wouldn't want to come back?"

Smiling, Elios reassured her, "I don't really think so. The guys are
uncomfortable, but as long as the girls don't abuse their power, the
brothers will get over it quickly."

"How could they, "abuse their power"?" Terrance asked.

Elios answered, "The girls would have to tell the brothers to do
something that was offensive to them."

Curious, Serenity asked, "Like what?"

Elios struggled to find the words that would explain something
Pegasuses don't really think about, they just react to. Finally he
said, "I guess the best word to explain it would be evil. Evil is very
offensive to all Pegasuses. If someone had a tie down control on a
Pegasus and they asked it to do something evil, the Pegasus would
resist and break the compulsion, but it would be emotionally painful
and traumatic to them."

Terrance nodded his head yes and said, "It is highly unlikely the girls
would ever ask something like that of them."

Serenity agreed, "That's true, but I think we should tell the girls
what's going on."

Looking a little disappointed, Elios said, "Okay, but can we wait until
after the ceremonies at the reception?"

Terrance was also looking at Serenity hopefully.

Sighing, she said, "I guess we can wait, but not too long. It's really
not fair to either group."


The wedding party was finally brought to the Palace. Makoto had been
in charge of arranging everything for the reception, and her expertise
showed. The banquet hall had been decorated with flowers, greenery and
ribbons. White lights and candles twinkled and peeked out amongst it
all.

The wedding party was seated at the main table, toasts were made and
finally it was time to eat.

While the food was being served, Elios leaned over to Serenity and
said, "I have to admit, I don't like eating with a bowtie around my
neck anymore than the brothers would. Will it cause a problem if we
remove our coats and ties now?"

Serenity said with a teasing twinkle in her eyes, "If I said no, would
you keep them on because you have a tie down compulsion to me?"

He thought about it for a moment then answered seriously, "Yes I would,
but more from love and a desire to please you than from the tie down.
I hope your answer would be based on your customs though, and not on
trying to control me."

With a reassuring smile, Serenity said, "Of course it would. You can
remove your coat and tie anytime you like now."

Elios gave her a quick kiss then he began to take his coat and tie off.

Serenity and Elios passed the information down the wedding party table.
When the brothers heard, they instantly complied with audible sighs of
relief.

The food served was picked from the very best the world had to offer.
Makoto's chefs had then taken that food and with Mako's recipes and
creativity, turned it into a tantalizing and delectable feast.

While the meal was being finished, the orchestra started playing dance
music. Other couples had started to dance and Serenity and Elios stood
to dance also. Terrance asked Hotaru if she would like to dance. The
Pegasus brothers were watching the dancing couples very curiously.

Jabbath spoke as Elios passed in front of the table, "Elios, what is
dancing for?"

Elios stopped, looked at the brothers then smacked himself on the head.
"I totally forgot you guys wouldn't know about dancing," he said.

At a loss, he looked at Serenity. She shrugged her shoulders and he
realized he'd get no help from her. Sighing, Elios finally answered,
"It's just for fun. It's not hard to learn. You can do it, just do
what the girls tell you to do." Elios turned with Serenity and headed
toward the dance floor.

The brothers looked from Elios to the girls with dubious expressions.
The girls smiled back at them. Ceres said, "There's no time like the
present to learn, so let's go," as she stood up. The brothers and the
other three girls stood also.

The girls showed the brothers how to hold them and how to move to
dance. At first the guys were a bit uncomfortable, but they finally
did relax. Pegasuses have a natural grace to their movements, and soon
they learned well enough to move further out onto the dance floor.

As they danced, Castor looked around at the other couples. He noticed
that some danced like they were dancing, and others danced much closer,
like they were hugging. He spotted Elios and Serenity dancing like
that too. He looked at Ceres and asked, "Why do some couples dance
like this and others like that?" as he looked toward a close couple.

Ceres smiled and explained, "It depends on how comfortable and close
relationally you are with a person. Acquaintances and friends usually
dance like us. Couples in love and married couples dance closer. I
guess it shows intimacy."

Terrance had led Hotaru onto the dance floor. He put his arm around
her and they began to dance. They danced well and easily together.
"Hotaru," Terrance said and she looked up at him. He continued, "You
dance very well."

Blushing, Hotaru said, "Thank you. I don't get the opportunity to
dance often, so I was worried I'd be a little rusty. You dance very
well and that makes it easier for me."

Terrance laughed and said, "Thank you, I'm glad I'm a help and not a
hindrance." Hotaru's eyes sparkled as she laughed too. Before he
thought about it, Terrance quietly said, "You look very pretty. The
dress color brings out the violet in your hair and eyes."

Hotaru blushed again and looked down. She whispered, "Thank you."
Terrance barely heard her.

When the music stopped, Terrance asked Hotaru if she wanted to return
to the table for a drink. She nodded her head yes.

The rest of the wedding party had returned to the table too.

As Terrance and Hotaru walked up they saw Serenity was talking to the
Asteroid Senshi. Suddenly the four girls looked shocked and upset.
Terrance said, "Uh-oh," under his breath as they approached the table.

Pallas, in a surprisingly angry voice, demanded, "Why didn't you tell
us right away? That's terrible! I feel awful. That's not what we
intended at all!" The other three girls nodded their heads in
agreement.

Serenity started to try and explain when Elios joined the conversation.
"I asked her to wait," he volunteered, "It was a lot easier with the
brothers being so cooperative during the pictures and reception
ceremonies."

Juno accused, "So, you used us is what you're saying! What must they
think of us? We wanted to be their friends, not their owners! Elios,
that was a mean thing to do. I'm very upset that you would do this to
them and us!"

Elios hadn't thought about how his behavior would be perceived. He
looked down and said, "I'm sorry. I guess it was pretty selfish of
me." He looked up and continued, "The brothers do know you weren't
aware of what you did. I'm sure they won't hold it against you."

Serenity slipped her hand in Elios' for support, but she stayed quiet.
She knew her Senshi and her husband would have to work this out for
themselves.

Ceres said, "That explains why they kept asking us to take the braids
out. They were so polite about it. I just wish they had told us. We
would have taken them out right away!"

Vesta looked at Elios, "You're still in the dog house with us. It was
mean and selfish and you should have known better. We depend on you to
help both groups understand each other. If we can't trust you to be
open and honest, then we are all going to have problems. You're the
only one who knows both sides and you can't play games with us!"

He now knew he deserved to be yelled at, and Elios felt very badly. He
rubbed the back of his neck and wondered if there was anything more he
could say to make things better again. Finally he said, "You're right.
I should not have done this. I promise I will be more careful from now
on. Please forgive me, I'm really sorry."

He looked so sorry and contrite. All four girls sighed. Juno spoke
for them, "Okay Elios. We'll forgive you, but don't ever pull a stunt
like this on us again. If you do, you may need Serenity's protection
from the wrath of the Asteroid Senshi."

Pallas looked at the others and said, "I'm going to take Pollux's braid
out right now." The other girls nodded their heads in agreement.

The brothers had been sitting at the table during the discussion. They
hadn't been able to hear what the discussion had been about, so they
were surprised to see the girls were upset.

Each girl silently stood next to her escort and began to remove the
braid. Juno said, "We were just told what the braids mean."

Vesta added, "We are really very sorry."

Pallas spoke next, "We never meant to take control of you. We only
wanted to stop you from teasing us."

Ceres ended with, "Please forgive us."

The braids had made the brothers' long strands of hair very wavy. The
girls gently combed their fingers through the strands to try and smooth
them.

Castor could see Ceres was really upset. He reached back and caught
her hand. Bringing it to his lips, Castor gave it a gentle kiss. He
looked into her eyes and quietly said, "I know you didn't mean it. All
is forgiven."

With grateful tears in her eyes, Ceres asked, "Why didn't you just tell
me? I would have taken it out right away."

Looking down and blushing, Castor quietly admitted, "I can't speak for
my brothers, but, I um, It was kind of fun to have you bossing me
around and you didn't know you were doing it."

Blushing, Ceres was surprised by Castor's words. However, her
expression was nothing compared to the astonishment on Jabbath's face.
He was sitting closest to Castor and had overheard what he said. Both
Pollux and Volans leaned over and asked, "What? What did he say J?"

Shaking his head, Jabbath answered, "You wouldn't believe me if I told
you!"

Castor turned his head and stared at his brother. He said in a low
quiet voice, "Good choice. Just keep it to yourself."

Again astonished, Jabbath just nodded his head yes.

Elios watched the exchange between the Senshi and the brothers. He
hadn't heard what was said, but Castor's behavior and expressions made
Elios feel vaguely uneasy.

The other brothers also said they forgave the Senshi and it looked like
the situation had finally been resolved. Everyone went back to
dancing.


After the cake was cut, the reception started to wind down. Everyone
knew Serenity and Elios needed to catch the transport soon.

Back in their room, Elios and Serenity were supposed to be changing and
gathering any last minute things to pack.

Elios helped Serenity out of her wedding gown then he slid his arms
around her and held her close to him. He kissed her neck and gently
caressed her.

Serenity sighed and ruefully said, "So, whose idea was it to schedule
our flight right after the reception?"

Whispering in her ear, Elios reminded her, "Yours I believe, my
beautiful sexy wife. I remember you said something about not wanting
to spend your wedding night at the palace. It had to do with your
Senshi and the brothers being able to bother us or pull pranks on us."

Serenity nodded her head yes and sighed again, "You're right, it was my
idea." She turned around in Elios' arms and passionately kissed him.
Their lips slowly separated and she continued with a pout, "I now think
that was a bad idea."

Elios kissed the tip of her nose and chuckled, "Regardless, it's too
late to change our minds. A mob of people is going to be at our door
any minute to go to the station with us.

As he was saying this, Elios' hands were traveling over Serenity's body
leaving fiery trails of desire in their wake. Her hands were similarly
occupied with Elios. They both quietly groaned then desperately kissed
each other again.

BANG, BANG, BANG! "Hey, aren't you two ready yet? Everyone's waiting
and it's time to go!" Terrance's voice carried loud and clear through
the door, interrupting them. They could also hear the Senshi giggling
as Vesta said to one of the brothers, "Hey, don't open the door!"

Cursing under his breath, Elios let go of Serenity and ran to lock the
door.

Serenity, a little disoriented from their kiss, fell back onto the bed
with a small startled squeal.

There was dead silence from the other side of the door then lots of
poorly stifled laughter and giggles. They heard Terrance audibly sigh
then loudly state, "If you are not out of there in five minutes, you
will miss your transport. Hurry up!"

When Serenity and Elios finally emerged from their room, they were both
hastily put together and flushed from hurrying.

"Finally!" stated Terrance.

All it took was one look at the couple for the Senshi and the brothers
to again burst into gales of laughter.

As their friends teased them and giggled, Elios pulled Serenity close.
He whispered to her, "Actually, I think it was a good idea to leave
now."

Serenity nodded her head in agreement as they headed out the door.


Continued…

(Crystal Flaws – Book 5 should be out soon. ^_^ )


Thank you for reading my story. I hope you enjoyed it.
If you did like my story, or if you have any (kind and gently worded)
suggestions/comments about my story, please let me know. I truly
appreciate feedback. You can email me at ndeblock@att.net .



This story was edited and enhanced by the great mind and imagination of
Sophia Prester. Her help and ideas have been of great value to me!
Thank you Sophia! ^_^

Sophia Prester is also the author or a *wonderful* continuing Sailor
Moon fanfic called "Empire of the Sun". Her story is very intricate
and absorbing and I highly recommend reading it! The most up to date
version is on Fanfiction.net . ^_^



Bye, Luna Hope



Disclaimer - Sailor Moon and all her friends (except for Prince
Terrance Donovan, and the Pegasus brothers – Jabbath, Castor, Pollux
and Volans. They are all mine! ^_^ ) don't belong to me. They belong
to Naoko Takeuchi. I just borrowed them for a little bit of fun.